The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will be requiring that leafy greens from Arizona must be from a grower involved in the state’s Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement to be imported into Canada.
The new rule will be effective in mid-August, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The agency notified the industry through its listserv, according to a CFIA spokeswoman. The agency plans to post it in its website over the summer.
According to the new rule, the “CFIA will limit entry into Canada of leafy green products from Arizona to those handled by shippers that are certified members of the Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.”
Teressa Lopez, Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Committee administrator, confirmed the CFIA notified the LGMA that the new rule will be finalized and announced in August.
The items covered by the CFIA rule are: iceberg lettuce, romaine, green leaf, red leaf, butter lettuce, baby leaf lettuce (for example, immature lettuce or leafy greens), escarole, endive, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula, chard and radicchio.
“Products not identified above are excluded from the requirement to be sourced from certified members of the Arizona LGMA (for example, bok choy and other Asian greens),” according to the CFIA.
Canada has required that California leafy greens be certified by the California LGMA for years.
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