What licences does a food exporter need to sell into Canada?
Any business importing food for sale in Canada must hold a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence. The legal importer of record named on Canada Border Services Agency documents must hold this licence. Foreign exporters have two options: establish a Canadian business entity and apply for their own SFC licence through My CFIA, or work with a Canadian importer who holds the licence and acts as the importer of record. Entries without a valid licence are rejected at the border.
What are the bilingual labelling requirements for food products sold in Canada?
All mandatory label elements must appear in both English and French. For products sold in Quebec, French must be at least as prominent as any other language. This applies to the common name, ingredient list, allergen declarations, net quantity, nutrition facts table, usage and storage instructions, and dealer identification. For products sold in Quebec, this standard applies to all mandatory packaging information. For public signage and point-of-sale materials visible from outside premises in Quebec, French must be markedly predominant. For trademarks, only registered non-French trademarks with no French version on the Canadian Trademarks Register may appear without translation; otherwise a French generic or descriptive term must be displayed alongside the trademark.
What is Quebec’s Bill 96 and how does it affect food exporters?
Bill 96, also known as Law 14, amended Quebec’s Charter of the French Language to expand French-language requirements for packaging, marketing, trademarks, and public signage. The major commercial provisions came into force on June 1, 2025. Packaging must show French on all mandatory information, with French at least as prominent as any other language. Public signage visible from outside premises must have French markedly predominant. Trademark usage must be audited to confirm whether a French version exists or whether a French generic descriptor is required alongside the trademark.
What documentation do Canadian retail buyers require from new suppliers?
Major retail chains and distributors require verified documentation before approving new vendors. Vendor portals typically require the SFC licence number, a Preventive Control Plan summary, the most recent mock recall date, and bilingual label proofs. Buyers and category managers request this documentation during tenders, reviews, and renewals to minimize audit and regulatory risk. Missing or outdated files will block vendor registration.
Do I need a broker or a distributor to enter the Canadian grocery market?
The right channel partner depends on your product category, operational capacity, and market entry strategy. Brokers represent your brand to retailers and manage buyer relationships but do not purchase inventory or handle logistics. Distributors purchase inventory, warehouse it, and sell through to retailers or foodservice operators. A produce exporter with short shelf life typically needs a distributor with cold chain capability and direct store delivery networks. A shelf-stable specialty food brand may work with a broker to secure listings and ship directly to retailer distribution centres. Canadian brokers and distributors are not interchangeable across regions.
What are the cold chain requirements for perishable food products entering Canada?
Temperature logs must be stored with shipment records as part of CFIA documentation requirements and kept for at least two years to meet Safe Food for Canadians Regulations requirements. When evaluating cold storage partners, exporters should confirm GFSI certification or equivalent food safety standards, real-time temperature monitoring capability, and CFIA inspection readiness. When evaluating distributors handling perishable items, ask whether they have real-time monitoring and whether they are CFIA-inspected or GFSI-certified. CFIA inspectors may request cold chain records as part of a routine documentation review at any time.
What allergens must be declared on Canadian food labels?
Canada requires clear declaration of 11 priority allergens: peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans, molluscs, soy, wheat and triticale, and mustard. Gluten sources and added sulphites at 10 ppm or more must also be declared. Allergen declarations must appear in both English and French using Health Canada’s prescribed phrasing. For Quebec-bound goods, French must be at least as prominent as any other language on mandatory label elements including allergen declarations. Incorrectly formatted allergen declarations are among the most common reasons for rejection at port.
What are the most common reasons food exporters fail to get listed by Canadian retailers?
The toolkit identifies several recurring patterns: missing or incomplete compliance documentation at vendor registration, bilingual labelling errors that do not meet CFIA or Quebec requirements, pricing structures that do not account for Canadian landed costs and trade spend expectations, and broker or distributor partners without verified relationships at target retail banners. When these issues are not resolved before launch, exporters risk missing retailer onboarding windows, losing promotional co-op fees, and facing delisting before achieving meaningful sales velocity.
For in-depth guidance on every aspect of entering the Canadian grocery market, see the Canadian Grocery Insiders Toolkit.
About Ingredients Communications and Training S.L.
International food brands often lose months and significant money learning the Canadian market through trial and error. The Canadian Grocery Insiders Toolkit was built to prevent that. After 25 years supporting over 100 brands through Canadian market entry, we organized our insider knowledge into 11 training modules and 54 Market Success Tools covering regulatory compliance, bilingual labelling, retail and foodservice strategies, marketing, Québec requirements, cold chain logistics, political risk navigation, and AI-powered tools for market intelligence. Learn more at canadiangroceryinsiders.com.
