Canadian Government Sets New Rules For Importing Romaine Lettuce From US This Fall

As reported in The Produce Reporter by Blue Book Services on August 1, 2023, the Canadian government has released new temporary licensing rules for importers of US romaine lettuce beginning September 28 and running through December 20, 2023.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CA FIA) summarized these new requirements in their statement outlining the rules:

“To decrease the risk associated with E. coli O157:H7 in romaine lettuce, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is implementing temporary Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) license conditions for the importation of romaine lettuce originating from the U.S. Between September 28 and December 20, 2023, importers of romaine lettuce and/or salad mixes containing romaine lettuce from the U.S. must:

    • declare that the product does not originate from counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey in the Salinas Valley, California, U.S., or
    • submit an attestation form and Certificates of Analysis for each shipment to demonstrate that the romaine lettuce does not contain detectable levels of E. coli O157:H7

Shippers sending romaine lettuce from other production regions to Canada during this time should expect to “provide a Proof of Origin indicating the state and county where the romaine lettuce was harvested”. Lack of proof of origin will require significant sampling and testing to assure lack of contamination before it will be allowed to be imported. Full details of this new rule are available on the CA FIA website at https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/food-imports/food-specific-requirements/romaine-lettuce-from-the-united-states/eng/1601488215302/1601488215678.

 

 

‘Yukon Gold’ potato seed from Canada test positive for Dickeya dianthicola in U.S.

‘Yukon Gold’ (2015-3079137-010) certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has tested positive for Dickeya dianthicola in Virginia this summer. This is the second report of Dickeya dianthicola in the U.S. originating from seed potato from New Brunswick, Canada  this summer. Importantly, Dickeya-infested potato seed has also been shipped from multiple sources in Maine to 11 states located in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Southeast regions  this year. All potato growers are encouraged to scout fields and report any suspect plants/tubers. The best method for keeping your potato operation Dickeya-free is to adopt your own 0% Dickeya-tolerance policy.

‘Reba’ potato seed test positive for Dickeya dianthicola in New Jersey from Canada.

‘Reba’ potato seed (lot # 2015-3100460-022, Elite 3) certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Grand Falls office in New Brunswick has tested positive for Dickeya dianthicola in New Jersey this summer. The same lot of seed was also shipped to PA. This is the first report of potato testing positive for Dickeya dianthicola in NJ from a Canadian source. Importantly, Dickeya-infested ‘Reba’ seed has also been shipped from different sources in Maine to multiple states in the mid-Atlantic region this year. All potato growers are encouraged to scout fields and report any suspect plants/tubers. The best method for keeping your potato operation Dickeya-free is to adopt your own 0% Dickeya-tolerance policy.