Effective September 24, 2026, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will renew the temporary conditions to Fresh Fruit and Vegetable import licences. These conditions apply to romaine lettuce products imported from the United States.

Importers of romaine lettuce products originating from the four specified counties in California’s Salinas Valley (Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz) must either obtain a Certificate of Analysis demonstrating that the product has been sampled and tested prior to importation into Canada or as a new option for the 2026 season, must obtain evidence that their supplier is a California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) member participating in the Romaine Test & Learn (T&L) Program.

Importers of romaine lettuce originating from outside these four counties must obtain and retain a valid Proof of Origin to demonstrate compliance with the temporary import requirements.

This documentation must be provided to the CFIA upon request.

The temporary conditions will be required from September 24 to December 17, 2026.

Complete details on the Safe Food for Canadians licence conditions and other existing import requirements are outlined here:

• Notice to Industry: Temporary Safe Food for Canadians licence conditions for importing romaine lettuce and salad mixes containing romaine lettuce from the United States to mitigate the risk of E. coli O157:H7
• Temporary import requirements for romaine lettuce from the United States

Source:  Dispute Resolution Corporation August 11, 2026 newsletter