Canadian government sets more requirements for Salinas Valley romaine

Romaine lettuce headed to Canadian markets this fall can expect some additional red tape. The Canadian government has recently issued new, temporary control measures for romaine grown in California's Salinas Valley from Sept. 28 through Dec. 20, 2023.

To import romaine or salad mixes containing romaine that come from Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey, Calif., counties this fall, the importer must provide a preventative control plan that includes details on how romaine sampling and testing has occurred. Practically speaking, every romaine shipment entering Canada needs to have a Canadian Food Inspection Agency importer attestation form completed.  

During this period, all leafy green imports to Canada not wanting to complete additional control measures must provide a proof of origin certificate that confirms that the lettuce was not produced in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito or Monterey, Calif., counties.  

If the importer is shipping produce originating from the affected Salinas Valley counties or simply does not have a proof of origin certification, the following additional steps must be taken to import romaine or salad mixes containing romaine.

Temporary control measures

From late September to late December 2023, according to the Canadian government, additional control measures must be put into place to import romaine-containing products to Canadian markets:

• A preventative control plan that includes a written procedure describing sampling, testing and implementation.

• A completed attestation form provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency attesting that they have a certificate of analysis for each romaine lettuce product in the shipment, that sampling and testing were conducted according to license agreements under Safe Food for Canadians, and that E. coli O157:H7 was not detected.

• Product was sampled and tested for E. coli according to either finish-product sampling or preharvest sampling methods and testing conditions outlined by the Canadian government.

• Screening and confirmation testing was performed in a laboratory accredited by a body that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition Agreement.

• A presumptive positive result from a screening method is treated as a positive result for E. coli O157:H7, unless a confirmation test is performed on the original enrichment broth within 24 hours of the first test and produces a negative result.

Romaine products will be considered an unlawful Canadian import if, from late September to late December, it fails to comply with the temporary license conditions.

To learn more, download forms and assess compliance, visit the Canadian government’s food imports resource page.