Fresh fruit and vegetables foreign establishment verification in Mexico

On this page

• 1.0 Mission overview
• 2.0 Verification objective
• 3.0 Verification standards and criteria
• 4.0 Verification scope
• 5.0 Comments and observations
  • 5.1 Element 1 – Process and product controls
  • 5.2 Element 2 – Sanitation, biosecurity, biocontainment, Pest control and chemicals
  • 5.3 Element 3 – Hygiene, biosecurity and employee training
  • 5.4 Element 4 – Equipment design and maintenance
  • 5.5 Element 5 – Physical structure, surroundings and maintenance
  • 5.6 Element 6 – Receiving, transportation and storage
  • 5.7 Element 7 – Traceability, recalls and complaints
• 6.0 Additional information
• 7.0 Follow-up
• 8.0 Conclusion
• 9.0 References

1.0 Mission overview

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted 9 on-site verifications of fields and fresh produce packers in Mexico from October 18 to 27, 2022. They were conducted in the Puebla and Jalisco regions. These verifications included various fresh fruit and vegetable products that are eligible for export to Canada without certification. However, some producers of some commodities must be licensed under the Contamination Risk Reduction System (CRRS) to ship to Canada. CRRS certification is currently mandatory for cilantro and cantaloupe producers exporting to Canada.

The CFIA worked with Mexico's National Service of Agro-Alimentary Health, Safety and Quality (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria - SENASICA) to plan the verification. SENASICA and its State Committees were present on-site to help coordinate and execute the verifications.

The CFIA held an initial virtual opening meeting with SENASICA on October 13, 2022. SENASICA's presented the responsibilities and relationship between SENASICA and the regulated parties regarding the CRRS. The CFIA presented an overview of the verification including the objective, scope, verification procedures, and the food safety standards used in Canada.

A virtual closing meeting was held on November 10, 2022. The CFIA presented a high-level overview of verification observations.

2.0 Verification objective

The objective of establishment verifications is to observe how the exporting or manufacturing establishments produce or sell safe, unadulterated products that are eligible for the Canadian market. In addition, the verification team observes how the identified products meet Canadian requirements or provide the same level of food safety as food made in Canada. Information gathered will further assess the risk associated with imported products and promote compliance with the different participants along the food supply chain.

3.0 Verification standards and criteria

The verification standards used by the CFIA are based on international standards, such as those developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). Within the scope of the verification, the principles outlined in these standards were employed:

• RCP 1-1969 – General Principles of Food Hygiene
• STAN 1-1985 – General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods
• GL-20-1995 – Principles for Food Import and Export Inspection and Certification
• GL-21-1997 – Principles and Guidelines for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods
• RCP 44-1995, and 1-2004 – Code of Practice for Packaging and Transport of Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
• RCP 53-2003 – Code of Hygienic Practices for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The CFIA structured its verification criteria using the CFIA's Integrated Agency Inspection Model (iAIM) 7 elements of a preventive control plan:

1. Process and product controls
2. Sanitation, biosecurity, biocontainment, pest control and chemicals
3. Hygiene, biosecurity and employee training
4. Equipment design and maintenance
5. Physical structure, surroundings and maintenance
6. Receiving, transportation and storage
7. Traceability, recalls and complaints

For more information:

• Food preventive control and traceability – Compliance verification system

The CFIA's inspection model (iAIM) is outcome-based. Manufacturers can be flexible in choosing a food safety system (such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) or good manufacturing practices (GMP)) for their preventative control plan. Any food product imported into Canada must meet the food safety, composition and labelling requirements from the Safe Food for Canadians Act, the Food and Drugs Act, and their Regulations.

4.0 Verification scope

The establishments were selected based on SENASICA's recommendations.

Each establishment verification included an opening meeting, a walk-through of the establishment, a documentation review, interviews with company representatives, and a short closing meeting.

The establishment verification scope included all 7 elements of a preventative control plan. The CFIA team focused on Elements 1 (Process and Product controls) and 7 (Traceability, Recalls and Complaints).

5.0 Comments and observations

5.1 Element 1 – Process and Product Controls

This element covers the controls implemented by the establishment related to incoming ingredients, processing steps in production, testing, and labelling of the final product, focusing on products destined for the Canadian marketplace.

5.2 Element 2 – Sanitation, Biosecurity, Biocontainment, Pest Control and Chemicals

This element addresses the effectiveness of the sanitation and pest control programs implemented at the establishment, the use and control of chemicals, and the controls in place to prevent the introduction or spread of any pests or diseases.

5.3 Element 3 – Hygiene, Biosecurity and Employee Training

This element addresses the training provided to employees and the adherence to procedures related to hygienic practices.

5.4 Element 4 – Equipment Design and Maintenance

This element addresses the equipment and utensils used in the establishments and the procedures in place to ensure that they are maintained, calibrated and used in a manner that does not contaminate products or packaging materials.

5.5 Element 5 – Physical Structure, Surroundings and Maintenance

This element covers the on-site conditions of the premises and surroundings, the effectiveness of the building maintenance, and the controls in place for water supply and waste disposal to prevent contamination of commodities.

5.6 Element 6 – Receiving, Transportation and Storage

This element addresses the controls at the establishment level for the receiving, transportation and storage of food products and packaging materials to prevent the damage, spoilage, or contamination of food commodities and to maintain their integrity.

5.7 Element 7 – Traceability, Recalls and Complaints

This element covers the controls over product traceability and recall/withdrawal capacity and the investigation conducted at the establishment level following an incident or a complaint to prevent the issue from reoccurring.

6.0 Additional information

For information only

The Mexican and Canadian controls being implemented for environmental sampling are different. Both SENASICA and the CFIA do environmental sampling for microbial pathogens immediately after cleaning and sanitizing. This is to validate the effectiveness of the cleaning and sanitizing procedures. However, the CFIA also conducts random sampling during production to assess and gather information on the microbiological level in the production environment. This is to validate the sanitation procedures and products during the entire production process.

The CFIA environmental sampling for Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) includes swabbing food contact surfaces^{Footnote 1} on a processing line and cold storage. Suggested food contact surfaces include:

• utensils (knives, trays)
• employee gloves/hands/aprons
• slicers, dicers, shredders
• blades of slicers
• cutting tables
• carts/racks
• conveyor belts
• scales (used to weigh Ready-To-Eat products before it is packaged)
• packaging tables
• packaging equipment (for example, vacuum packaging)
• packaging material

The final end-product is also sampled for Lm. This is critical to help identify the cause and source of Lm contamination if it happens.

Food businesses should remain vigilant regarding the presence of Lm if it has been identified as a food safety hazard to be controlled. To mitigate the risk from Lm, manufacturers are still expected to implement ood manufacturing practices (GMPs), sampling or end-product testing or both.

The CFIA website for reference:

• Control measures for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods - Environmental sampling program

7.0 Follow-up

The establishment, SENASICA and the State Committees took note of the observations identified during the individual establishment closing meetings.

The CFIA is confident that observations communicated on-site and within this report were addressed by the establishments. SENASICA provided the CFIA with their verifications that the corrective actions were completed.

8.0 Conclusion

These establishment verifications were completed successfully with the cooperation and support of SENASICA and the State Committees.

This mission has allowed the CFIA to:

• build on existing relationships with SENASICA
• ensure the safety of products exported to Canada
• better understand the multiple participants involved in the food supply chain

This verification permitted a direct exchange of information at the establishment level, facilitating future export of products to the Canadian marketplace. This verification provided an opportunity for the CFIA to share information on Canadian legislative requirements and contribute to compliance promotion for visited establishments.

9.0 References

For further information on the CFIA and Canadian import requirements, the following web pages may be consulted:

• The CFIA's website contains general information on the organizational structure of the CFIA, enforced laws and regulations in Canada, food recall warnings, and news on various regulatory initiatives.
• The CFIA's new consolidated Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) requires that imported food be prepared with the same level of food safety controls as food prepared in Canada.
  • The Industry Labelling Tool contains information on the requirements for food labeling and food allergens in Canada.
  • The Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) shows the country and commodity specific import requirements for CFIA-regulated commodities.