Mexico – Export requirements for meat and poultry products

On this page

1. Eligible/ineligible product
2. Pre-export approvals by competent authority of importing country
3. Production controls and inspection requirements
4. Labelling, marking and packaging requirements
5. Documentation requirements
6. Other information

1. Eligible/ineligible product

1.1 Eligible

• Beef:
  • bone-in and boneless meat
  • marinated raw meat and other raw meat products
  • trimmings (skeletal muscle)
  • offal:
    • lips
    • diaphragm
    • cheek meat
    • feet
  • viscera:
    • tongue
    • tripe
    • heart
    • kidney
    • lungs
    • thymus
  • liver derived from animals of all ages
  • edible tallow
  • weasand
  • small intestine
  • head meat
  • ground meat
• Bison meat
• Cervidae (deer) meat
• Ovine (sheep)/caprine (goat):
  • meat
  • offal:
    • head
    • feet
  • viscera
• Pork:
  • fresh meat
  • viscera:
    • all parts in the cavity of the carcass, such as tongue
  • offal:
    • head
    • cheek
    • tail
    • sternum
    • glands
    • unrendered fat, with or without traces of meat
    • lips
    • hands
    • mask
    • ears
    • jowl
    • legs
    • skin, with up to 10-15% fat
    • trunk
  • bacon (cooked or smoked)
  • dry-cured hams and pork-shoulders
  • lard
  • pork in brine
• Boar meat
• Poultry:
  • raw poultry meat
  • carcasses
  • mechanically separated meat (MSM)
  • viscera
  • offal
  • cooked, pre-cooked, and/or smoked meat
  • poultry pates
• Sausages:
  • dry-cured beef and/or pork products in casings
  • heat treated beef, pork and/or poultry meat
• Composite foods containing meat, dairy products, egg products, honey or gelatine of bovine/porcine origin.

1.2 Ineligible

• Poultry:
  • meat imported into Canada for use in raw poultry products and/or pâte
• Beef:
  • trimmings other than from skeletal muscle
• Frozen meat products in combo bins

2. Pre-export approvals by competent authority of importing country

2.1 Establishments and species

• Establishments must be approved by Mexican authorities
• Refer to Annex 1 – List of Establishments, Names and Species Approved to Export to Mexico for the list of approved establishments and species
• To be included in the list, operators must submit Annex I – Application for Establishment Approval through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) area office
• In case the establishment name and number do not appear on the list, exporters are advised to contact the CFIA area or regional office

3. Production controls and inspection requirements

3.1 Imported meat products

• Products for export to Mexico manufactured in Canada may contain legally imported meat ingredients. However, the use of imported poultry meat is not permitted for export of raw poultry products and/or pâté to Mexico at this time
• The operator/exporter is responsible for obtaining a declaration from the competent authorities of the country of origin. The competent authorities must declare that the producing establishment of the meat ingredient to be exported to Canada is approved by the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación – SAGARPA (Spanish only). The declaration must be kept on file with the Canadian export certificate

3.2 Import of samples

Samples of meat and poultry meat products intended for laboratory examination, research, evaluative testing or trade show exhibition are not for human consumption. Products must be sourced and processed only from establishments eligible to export to Mexico

3.3 Ruminant products in transit through the USA

In addition to meeting Mexican requirements, meat products derived from ruminants are subjected to USDA-APHIS transit requirements. Please see details in Annex E – Specific requirements relative to over-land transit in the USA of meat derived from ruminants destined to Mexico

3.4 Return of Canadian meat products from Mexico to Canada

Canadian import requirements state that for exported and returned meat products, seals may only be broken and replaced by the competent authorities of the importing country or the country through which the meat product transits

For the United States (U.S.), the competent authorities include, but are not limited to: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (U.S. CBP); and, the United States Department of Agriculture – Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS)

When new seals are put, the consignment must be accompanied by the official documentation of the competent authorities which have made the change of the seal appearing on the export certificate, indicating the serial number of the seal of origin as well as the serial number of the replacement seal affixed to the transport container

4. Labelling, marking and packaging requirements

4.1 Please also refer to Annex K: Export Certificate and Labelling of Meat Products Exported to Mexico

4.2 To be in compliance with the Mexican requirements, the labelling must be done as follows:

• Keep the plant label, that is to say, the name and registration number of the plant, generic name of the product, net weight in kilograms and packaging date in the language of origin
• The export stamp and lot number, as determined by the operator, must appear on each shipping container. To prevent problems at the time of import inspection, the establishment number appearing in the export stamp should be the establishment number of the manufacturing establishment shown on the label of the product. The term lot must be used only once on the shipping container/boxes destined to Mexico
• There must be another label on each container, in Spanish, giving the following information:
  • product description
  • name of the country of origin
  • plant name, address and registration number
  • and, the storage instructions "keep refrigerated" or "keep frozen", whichever is the case
• All these labels must be placed on the panel facing out the pallet so it is available for inspection without further manipulation. They should not overlap and hide any required information. A space of 3 × 8 cm must be left open so that the stamp of approval or rejection, as applicable, can be placed on the panel
• The labelling information may be printed, stamped or applied by means of a sticker
• The labels on the boxes, containers or combos containing meat for further processing in Mexico must bear the name of establishment, as per Annex 1 – List of Establishments, Names and Species Approved to Export to Mexico

  Note

  In the case of carcasses the inspection legend alone is acceptable.

5. Documentation requirements

5.1 Certificate

Notes

• At the request of the exporter/importer, and if all applicable Japanese requirements are met, the certificate in Annex D: Certification in Relation to Japanese Requirements can be issued
• All certificates for meat products exported to Mexico must have slaughter and processed dates typed in the box "Slaughter date" or "Process date" of form CFIA/ACIA 1454 in day/month/year (dd-mm-yy) format. For example:
  • Slaughter date: 15-01-2011; or, 15 to 20-01-2011
  • Process date: 18-01-2011; or, 18 to 23-01-2011
• The inspection seal must be stamped on the certificates in red ink. The veterinary inspector's name and title must be printed, typed or stamped in upper case. The Health certificates for export to Mexico must be completed either electronically or typewritten. Handwritten certificates will not be accepted by the Mexican authorities. To prevent problems at the point of entry, it is advised that replaced annexes be signed by the same veterinary inspector who signs the form CFIA/ACIA 1454
• As of August 9, 2022, SENASICA will only accept "Continuation sheet to CFIA 1454", in order to provide supplementary information, as needed when the "product description field" of CFIA1454 does not have enough space to describe the products certified. In case supplementary information is provided on the CFIA letter head, these documents will not be accepted by Mexican authorities
• Certificate of Inspection Covering Meat Products (CFIA/ACIA 1454)
• Annex A: Veterinary certificate covering fresh pork meat, viscera and offal, chilled or frozen, for export to Mexico
  • For the purpose of this certificate, fresh meat is defined as raw meat, either chilled or frozen. Annex A covers raw pork products, including viscera (all parts in the cavity of the carcass, such as tongue), and offal (head, cheek, tail, sternum, glands, unrendered fat with or without traces of meat, lips, feet, mask, ears, jowls, legs, skins with up to 10-15% fat, and trunk). For export to Mexico, skins are considered to be offal
• Annex B: Veterinary certificate covering raw poultry meat, carcasses, mechanically separated meat (MSM), viscera and offal, chilled or frozen, for export to Mexico
  • For the purpose of this certificate, the poultry meat, viscera or offal are derived from edible domestic birds, for example, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, quails, etc. It covers raw poultry meat, whole or in pieces; smoked meat without heat treatment; mechanically deboned meat (raw pastes or in brine); prepared raw meats (marinated and others); and other raw meat preparations
• Annex B-2: Veterinary certificate covering cooked, pre-cooked and smoked poultry meat (whole or in pieces), viscera and offal for export to Mexico for example chicken nuggets made with chicken only and no animal by product is added
  • The HRZ corresponding to Annex B-2 also includes dehydrated poultry meat in powder
• Annex B-3: Certification covering poultry pâté intended for export to Mexico
  • Annex B-3 covers pâté and terrines, but not mousse de foie gras.
• Annex B-4: Veterinary Certificate covering poultry fat for export to Mexico
• Annex D: Veterinary certification covering beef meat, chilled or frozen, for export to Mexico
  • For the purpose of this certificate, beef meat is defined as raw meat, bone-in or boneless, chilled or frozen, including marinated meat or otherwise prepared.
• Annex D-1: Veterinary certification covering beef trimmings, chilled or frozen, for export to Mexico
• Annex D-2: Veterinary certificate for offal (lips, diaphragm, cheek meat, and feet) derived from cattle and destined to Mexico
• Annex D-3: Veterinary certification covering beef viscera (tongue, rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum, heart, kidneys, liver, lung and thymus), for export to Mexico
• Annex D-4: Veterinary certificate for edible beef tallow intended for export to Mexico
• Annex D-5: Veterinary certification covering beef weasand meat for export to Mexico
• Annex D-6: Veterinary certification covering beef small intestines for export to Mexico
• Annex D-7: Veterinary certification covering beef head meat for export to Mexico
• Annex D-8: Veterinary certification covering beef ground meat for export to Mexico
• Annex F: Veterinary certificate covering ovine/caprine meat, offal (heads and feet) and viscera for export to Mexico
  • Annex F covers meat, offal and viscera from animals of all ages.
• Annex G: Veterinary certificate for meat derived from bison and destined to Mexico
• Annex H: Veterinary certificate for meat derived from deer and destined to Mexico
  • The certification also covers meat derived from other Cervidae.
• Annex I: Veterinary certificate covering dry-cured pork products (hams and shoulders) for export to Mexico
  • Annex I covers Serrano hams, prosciuttos and similar dry-cured products.
• Annex I-1: Veterinary certificate covering dry-cured beef and/or pork products (in casings) for export to Mexico
  • Annex I-1 covers all dry-cured salamis, sausages and similar products.
• Annex I-2: Certification covering heat-treated meat products containing beef, pork and/or poultry for export to Mexico
  • For the purpose of this certificate, heat-treated meat products are defined as sausages and deli meats. For more information refer to the associated HRZ found in Annex C – Correspondence Between CFIA Veterinary Certificates and Zoo Sanitary Requirements/Hoja de requisitos zoosanitarios
• Annex I-3: Veterinary certificate covering bacon, cooked or smoked, for export to Mexico
  • This certificate must not be used for any product containing raw (unprocessed) pork.
• Annex I-4: Veterinary certificate covering lard for export to Mexico
• Annex I-5: Veterinary certificate covering pork in brine for export to Mexico
• Annex J: Veterinary certification covering composite foods for export to Mexico containing meat derived from poultry, bovines, ovines/caprines, or swine, and dairy products, egg products, honey, or gelatin of bovine origin for example chicken nuggets made with chicken and other animal by products like milk, eggs etc.
  • The exporter has the responsibility to inquire with the Mexican authorities if the product to be exported is deemed as a composite. In that case, Annex J must be issued.
• Annex J-1: Veterinary certification covering composite foods for export to Mexico containing meat derived from bovines and/or swine, and dairy products, egg products, honey, or gelatin of porcine origin
  • The exporter has the responsibility to inquire with the Mexican authorities if the product to be exported is deemed as a composite. In that case, Annex J-1 must be issued.
• Annex L: Veterinary certificate covering boar meat for export to Mexico
  • For the purpose of this certificate, boar meat is defined as raw meat (chilled or frozen) or boar meat in brine.

6. Other information

The Mexican National Service for Health, Safety and Quality in Agri-food (Servicio Nacional de Sanidad, Inocuidad y Calidad Agroalimentaria – SENASICA), maintains an online library of import requirements: Módulo de consulta de requisitos para la importación de mercancías zoosanitarias (Spanish only). The operator/exporter is responsible for matching the zoosanitary requirements of the product intended for export with the corresponding CFIA certification.

• The operator/exporter is responsible for requesting the appropriate certificate from the CFIA inspector. Any discrepancy between a HRZ certification requirements and the approved CFIA certificate for the product intended for export should be brought to the attention of the inspector. The operator/exporter bears full responsibility to ensure that the certification provided by the CFIA is in compliance with the certification requirements appearing on the applicable HRZs.
• Only HRZs published on the SENASICA library will be considered for certification. If an HRZ is not posted, the importer and/or exporter must request its publication. Refer to SENASICA (Spanish only) for the procedure and timelines.
• Shipments must enter Mexico at a port-of-entry with approved storage facilities. The exporter and importer should refer to the online HRZ prior to shipping. Shipments destined to federally inspected plants in Mexico could be inspected at destination rather than at the border. The rate of product inspection will be based on the past record of the establishment and/or the customs broker. This is determined on a port-by-port basis.
• A table matching HRZs with CFIA veterinary certificates has been produced to facilitate the work of all concerned: Annex C – Correspondence Between CFIA Veterinary Certificates and Zoo Sanitary Requirements/Hoja de requisitos zoosanitarios. This is a summary of the best available information and it does not change the responsibility of the operator/exporter to ensure that the appropriate certificate is being used for the product intended for export.