The Safe Food for Canadians Act & Regulations came into force on January 15, 2019, and had outlined compliance dates in 2020 and 2021 based on the type of food commodity, business size, and type of activity.
There were 2 scheduled compliance dates in 2020, the first on January 15, 2020, and the second on July 15, 2020. January 15 passed and saw new compliance requirements come into force for fresh fruit and vegetable products (for import, further processing, or no license to pack).
In light of the recent coronavirus pandemic, however, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced that they will not prioritize compliance activities associated with the July 15, 2020 compliance date. As a reminder, this date would have implemented new compliance requirements for:
The announcement from the CFIA did not provide a new date, instead, the decision has been made to postpone until further notice.
However, the CFIA still encourages businesses to apply for licenses under the SFCA and made assurances to importers of manufactured food that they would not encounter disruptions in their imports while waiting for a license.
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