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Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) (Customs Glossary)

Last updated 13 July 2026

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This article is part of the Customs Glossary Guide
Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) logo.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the Government of Canada agency responsible for food safety, animal health, and plant health programs. In cross-border trade, CFIA requirements often apply to food, plants, animals, animal products, plant products, wood packaging, and other regulated commodities entering Canada.[1]

CBSA performs border processing and release functions, but CFIA is the program authority for many admissibility, inspection, licensing, permit, and certificate requirements. When a shipment is CFIA-regulated, the importer and customs broker must make sure the required CFIA data and documents are available before release.


CFIA in Canadian Imports

CFIA import requirements are intended to protect people, animals, plants, agriculture, and the environment. Depending on the commodity, origin, end use, and destination, CFIA may require:

  • Import permits
  • Foreign government certificates, such as veterinary or phytosanitary certificates
  • Safe Food for Canadians licences
  • Commodity-specific declarations
  • Inspection at the border or another approved location
  • Treatment, refusal, removal, or other action when goods are inadmissible

CFIA states that importers must meet specific regulatory requirements when importing food, plants, or animals into Canada.[2] Carriers should not assume that a shipment is admissible just because the paperwork is present, especially for food, meat, plants, seeds, animals, animal products, and wood packaging.

Common Compliance Tools

AIRS
The Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) is a CFIA reference tool that shows import requirements for CFIA-regulated commodities.[3] AIRS searches use information such as HS code, commodity, origin, destination, end use, and other qualifiers to identify applicable import requirements.[4]
My CFIA
My CFIA is the online account system used to request, manage, and track CFIA services such as permits, licences, and permissions.[2] Food importers and other regulated businesses may use My CFIA to manage Safe Food for Canadians licences and other CFIA services.
Safe Food for Canadians Licence
Under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, certain food businesses need a licence for activities such as importing food. CBSA has advised that food importers who require a Safe Food for Canadians licence must include a valid licence number on the import declaration, and that businesses must obtain the licence before presenting the shipment at the border.[5]
Single Window Initiative and IID
The CBSA Single Window Initiative allows importers and customs brokers to provide an electronic Integrated Import Declaration (IID), also known as Service Option 911, for participating government departments and agencies.[6] The IID can be used for both non-regulated and regulated commodities and supports PGA data, including CFIA-related data where required.[6]
National Import Service Centre
The CFIA National Import Service Centre supports import processing for many CFIA-regulated commodities, including document review and import admissibility decisions when required. CFIA publishes National Import Service Centre contact information for import-related support.[2]

Common Import Situations

Food Products
Imported food may require a Safe Food for Canadians licence, preventive-control information, traceability records, and commodity-specific documentation. Requirements vary by food type and activity.
Meat and Animal Products
Meat, animal products, and live animals can require foreign inspection certificates, permits, eligibility checks, or inspection at a CFIA-approved establishment or location.
Plants, Seeds, and Plant Products
Plants, seeds, soil, wood products, and other plant material may require phytosanitary certificates, import permits, treatment, or restrictions intended to prevent plant pests and diseases.
Wood Packaging and Dunnage
Wood packaging material used in international trade is subject to plant-health controls, including ISPM 15 treatment and marking requirements where applicable. Non-compliant wood packaging can cause delays, refusal, or orders to remove or treat the material.
Samples and Research Materials
Samples, laboratory materials, and research goods can still be regulated. Importers should verify CFIA requirements even when goods have no commercial sale value.

CFIA and BorderConnect

BorderConnect ACI eManifest software is used by highway carriers to send cargo and conveyance data to CBSA before arriving in Canada. The ACI eManifest identifies the carrier, trip, cargo, shipper, consignee, commodity description, quantity, weight, port of arrival, and related shipment information.

The carrier's ACI eManifest does not replace CFIA import data, permits, certificates, licences, or the broker's release declaration. For CFIA-regulated goods, the customs broker or importer normally handles the CFIA-related release data through the applicable CBSA release process, such as IID, while the carrier transmits the ACI eManifest.

BorderConnect can help the carrier keep the shipment data consistent with the paperwork used by the broker. For example, the carrier should make sure the Cargo Control Number, shipper, consignee, commodity description, quantity, weight, and port of arrival match the documents sent to the broker for CFIA-regulated goods.

Meat Shipment Inspection Status

Meat shipments entering Canada from the United States may be selected for CFIA inspection. When a shipment is selected, the carrier must follow the inspection instructions and report to the facility specified by CFIA before delivering the shipment to the consignee.[7]

CFIA's Shipment Tracker allows users to check the inspection status of imports of meat and meat products, and it also supports IID status for electronically declared food, plant, and animal imports.[8] CFIA also states that users can check real-time inspection status for meat and meat products, while CBSA makes the final decision to accept or reject the shipment.[2]

In BorderConnect PARS, meat inspection status can appear after the shipment has been released by CBSA and the CFIA inspection decision is available.[7] Inspection status is not available before customs release, and there is usually a delay of about 5 to 30 minutes between CBSA release and the status becoming available.[7]

The typical workflow is:

  1. CBSA releases the PARS shipment.
  2. CFIA inspection status becomes available through CFIA's shipment-status system.
  3. BorderConnect displays the CFIA inspection result on the shipment when the result is available.
  4. BorderConnect can notify users or drivers if the required notification settings are enabled.[7]

Users of BorderConnect PARS can review the CFIA inspection status from the PARS shipment record. Users of BorderConnect ACI eManifest can also see the inspection status from the ACI eManifest Details Page or ACI Shipment Details Page when the manifest or shipment is connected to the PARS shipment.[7]

If CFIA's shipment-status system is unavailable, BorderConnect cannot retrieve the inspection status. BorderConnect also does not store the CFIA inspection status after it is no longer available from the CFIA source.[7]

The CFIA inspection-status result is informational for the carrier. Drivers and dispatchers should follow the inspection instructions provided by CFIA, CBSA, the importer, broker, or the designated inspection facility.

Carrier and Broker Notes

The carrier's ACI eManifest transmission does not replace CFIA import data. The eManifest identifies the cargo and conveyance for CBSA, while the broker or importer is responsible for release data and CFIA program requirements.

Carriers can reduce border delays by asking shippers and brokers to confirm:

  • Whether the goods are regulated by CFIA
  • Whether AIRS was checked for the exact commodity, origin, destination, and end use
  • Whether required permits, certificates, licences, or declarations are included
  • Whether the broker has submitted the required IID or release information
  • Whether the shipment must report for inspection after border arrival

See also

Official Resources

References

  1. ↑ Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Importing food, plants or animals.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Commercial importing process: at a glance.
  3. ↑ Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Automated Import Reference System (AIRS).
  4. ↑ Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Automated Import Reference System.
  5. ↑ Canada Border Services Agency, Customs Notice 24-03: Safe Food for Canadians licence to import food to Canada.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Government of Canada Open Data, Single Window Initiative, Integrated Import Declaration (IID).
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 BorderConnect, Meat Shipment CFIA Inspection Status Feature.
  8. ↑ Canadian Food Inspection Agency, CFIA Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant and Animal Products.
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