The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has noticed that a significant number of importers of manufactured foods have chosen "infant foods" as a sub-commodity on their Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence, even though they are not importing them. CFIA would like to provide guidance on when it is appropriate to include this sub-commodity on your SFC licence.
When to include the sub-commodity "infant foods" on your licence
When you request, renew or amend an SFC licence, you are asked to identify the food products you are importing or intend to import from a list of commodity and sub-commodity categories listed in your My CFIA account. The information you submit in your application is required to be complete, truthful and not misleading.
Under the SFC licensing system, the "infant foods" sub-commodity only includes these items:
- liquid and powdered infant formula
- human milk fortifiers
If you import or intend to import infant foods, you need to select on your licence:
- "commodity: manufactured food", and then
- "sub-commodity: infant foods"
If you do not import or do not intend to import infant foods, you must amend your SFC licence to remove infant foods by using your My CFIA account. This can be done free of charge.
Do not select the infant foods sub-commodity on your SFC licence if you import or intend to import other foods for infants, such as products consisting of cereals or grains, meat, or, pureed fruit or vegetables. To help you select the correct sub-commodity for these other foods for infants on your SFC licence, refer to the examples in the guidance document Annex A – What to consider before applying for an SFC licence.
Why it's important to select the correct food commodity and sub-commodity
Infant formula and human milk fortifiers (HMF) are subject to specific additional regulatory requirements and increased oversight activities.
If you import or intend to import these foods, you must meet the requirements of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). You are also responsible for ensuring that the infant formula and/or HMF products you import comply with the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), in particular Division 25. If you fail to comply with regulatory requirements, your products could be recalled, seized, or detained. In addition, your licence could be suspended or cancelled.
CFIA conducts increased inspection activities at all importers with "infant foods" on their SFC licence in order to:
- ensure that your licence is valid, reflects your business activities, and that you continue to comply with the conditions for licence issuance/renewal
- evaluate whether your preventive controls are effective in ensuring that the infant formula and HMF you import comply with the regulatory requirements under the SFCR and FDR.
Supporting information
CFIA has developed the following guidance tools to help with SFC licence applications:
- What to consider before applying for a Safe Food for Canadians licence
- Importing food with a valid Safe Food for Canadians licence
- Regulatory requirements: Licensing of food businesses
If you still have questions
You can find more information by visiting our Toolkit for food businesses and using our virtual assistant tool. If you are unable to find answers to your questions, you can contact CFIA online.