The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) will be updated to add additional import controls following the outbreak of E. coli O157 illnesses in Canada linked to romaine lettuce harvested in California (USA).
The counties in California from which romaine lettuce cannot originate due to the outbreak of E. coli O157 infections are: Monterrey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Ventura.
Changes to AIRS are as follows:
- CFIA is adding new “Other Government Departments” (OGD) extensions to identify romaine lettuce shipments.
- Shipments of romaine lettuce harvested in California (USA) and salads from all the USA will be referred to CFIA for review.
- Shipments of romaine lettuce from California must be accompanied by a letterhead, on a separate page, showing a Proof of Origin signed by the exporter declaring the municipality, county and the state (California) where romaine lettuce was harvested.
- Shipments of salads originating from all of the USA, containing romaine lettuce, will have to be accompanied by a letterhead, on a separate page, showing a Proof of Origin signed by the exporter declaring the municipality, county and state where romaine lettuce was harvested.
- Shipments of salads originating from all of the USA, which do not contain romaine lettuce, will have to be accompanied by a letterhead, on a separate page, signed by the exporter with the following text: “Does not contain romaine lettuce.”
Please be aware that due to the increased workload associated with this measure, shipments may experience delays. We encourage brokers and importers to submit their transactions in advance.
If you have any questions, please contact the CFIA National Import Service Centre (NISC) from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) at 1-800-835-4486 (Canada or USA).