OTTAWA — Veggie haulers beware: Beginning June 1, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will require that all shipments of leafy green produce grown in California be accompanied by a Confirmation of Sale (COS) document confirming the origin of the goods.

The term “leafy greens” covers a variety of products and vegetables, including iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, baby leaf lettuce (i.e., immature lettuce or leafy greens), escarole, endive, spring mix, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula, and chard.

This restriction applies only to produce grown in California, says René Cardinal, national manager of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program, Agrifood Division, at CFIA.

Truckers must ensure loads with leafy greens are
properly documented before leaving the shipper.

“The risk is mainly from California,” Cardinal says. “We have not identified any high risk from any other states.”

Californian leafy greens have been associated with several outbreaks of foodborne illnesses over the past ten years, says CFIA, the most recent being the September 2006 multi-state outbreak of E.coli O157:H7. Illnesses associated with contaminated fresh Californian baby spinach resulted in 205 confirmed cases in the U.S. – including three deaths. There was one confirmed case of illness in Canada.

Since October 2006, CFIA officials have been meeting with American officials to gain information on the findings of investigations into the spinach and other outbreaks relating to leafy greens grown in California and on measures taken to address the food safety risks associated with these products.

In response, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), in consultation with U.S. federal, other California officials and the Western Growers Association, developed the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (Handler Marketing Agreement), which requires signatory handlers of leafy greens grown in California to get their supply from growers that apply the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce and Leafy Greens (Leafy Green GAPs).

René Cardinal, national manager of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program, Agrifood Division, at CFIA these restrictions won’t affect truckers directly, except that they must ensure the loads are properly documented before leaving the shipper.

“Drivers should make sure the shipper has properly completed the confirmation of sale document, with the proper indication of the shipper. If the box is not filled in, the driver ought to remind the shipper that it’s need to get the load into Canada.” he says. “If that’s completed properly, it’ll be business as usual at the border.”

The CFIA will allow the importation of leafy green vegetables from USA if the shipper declares in Box 22 of the COS whether the product was grown in California or in a State other than California, and that product grown in California has been handled by a signatory handler marketing agreement, and that the name of the signatory handler is noted in Box 22 of the COS.

American shippers are to start implementing these requirements by May 21 so that compliance is achieved at the Canadian border by June 1, 2007, the day enforcement actions will be initiated by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and CFIA .

Loads of leafy greens from California that are not accompanied by a properly completed COS will be refused entry into Canada, destroyed, or re-exported to the U.S., Cardinal warns.

For more information on this import restriction, call the Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Program, Agrifood Division, of CFIA at 613-221-7153.

The Handler Marketing Agreement, the list of signatory handlers and the Leafy Green GAPs can be found at: www.caleafygreens.ca.gov/

Additional information is available from CFIA at: www.cscb.ca/listinfo/cfialeafygreens.pdf