Ask CFIA provides guidance on food regulatory questions submitted by Canadian businesses and non-resident importers (NRI) eligible to hold a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence.
Note
If you are not eligible to obtain a SFC licence as a NRI, please work directly with a SFC licence holder to determine the import requirements for the food product(s) you wish to export to Canada.
Questions about complying with food regulatory requirements
For information on how to comply with food regulatory requirements, please refer to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) Toolkit for food businesses. If you are not able to find information on the topic you are looking for, please submit an enquiry to our Ask CFIA team using the Contact CFIA online form.
Following the online submission of your enquiry, you will receive an email acknowledgement of receipt with a web response identification (ID) number. A minimum service expectation date will also be provided to give you an indication of when a written response to your question can be anticipated.
Questions related to inspections or ongoing investigations
Questions related to an inspection or on-going investigation are beyond the scope of Ask CFIA, and should be directed to your local inspector, Veterinarian in Charge, or your local or regional CFIA office.
Other questions
Enquiries related to your My CFIA account, import shipments, and plant or animal health should be directed to the following contacts:
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My CFIA support team: To sign up or manage your My CFIA account, SFC licence application and/or permissions.
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Import shipment tracker tool: To check the transaction status of CFIA regulated imports (including shipments being held at the border), consult the Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant and Animal products. It is available for all commodities declared via the Integrated Import Declarations (IID).
Note: The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is responsible for all shipments entering Canada.
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National Import Service Centre (NISC): For enquiries related to import transactions reviewed by NISC via the Single Windows Initiative (SWI) Integrated Import Declarations (IID).
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Local CFIA office: For plant or animal health related enquiries, even if they involve a food product (for example, phytosanitary requirements, zoosanitary requirements).