On January 15, 2020, most businesses in the fresh fruits or vegetables (FFV) sector will become subject to new requirements under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). These include: preventive controls, preventive control plans and traceability.
In addition, importers who require an SFC licence and who do not have a valid licence as of that date may experience delays or rejection of their shipment at the border and may be subject to other SFCR enforcement actions.
New requirements for lot code labelling of consumer-prepackaged fresh fruits or vegetables will also come into force at that time. However, businesses will have until January 15, 2021 to use up existing packaging.
Prepare now
FFV businesses should begin now to learn about and prepare for the new requirements. New and updated guidance documents are available on the CFIA website:
- Fact sheet: Fresh fruits and vegetables businesses
- SFCR timelines – Fresh fruit or vegetables
- Definition of lot code – Safe Food for Canadians Regulations: Glossary of key terms
Businesses should also review the following for information on lot-code labelling:
Inspection frequency
The number of times that CFIA inspects a food business depends on several factors, with risk to food safety being one of them. Using their My CFIA account, SFC-licensed businesses can provide operational and risk information that may help lower their establishment’s risk result and lower the frequency or scope of inspections.
Licence holders that do not complete this information could be inspected at the same rate as an establishment that has been assigned the highest risk result for that commodity.
Watch the FFV recorded presentation
Businesses can watch a recorded presentation to learn more about the new SFCR requirements. The presentation discusses the implications and benefits of the SFCR for the FFV sector, and is tailored to the interests of growers, harvesters, importers and exporters.
For more information about the SFCR, visit inspection.gc.ca/SafeFood.