The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Wednesday announced the Fall 2022 import requirements for U.S. romaine lettuce.

The requirements are the same as Fall 2021, but the enforcement timeframe has shifted slightly. The 2022 requirements now come into effect on Sept. 28, 2022 and will end Dec. 22, 2022. Pre-harvest sampling and testing will be permitted again in 2022.

Romaine lettuce and products containing romaine lettuce (I.e., bagged salads) produced in the four Salinas Valley counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Monterey must “submit an attestation form and Certificates of Analysis for each shipment to demonstrate that the romaine lettuce does not contain detectable levels of E. coli O157:H7.”

Products originating from other areas of the U.S. must “declare that the product does not originate from [the] counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito and Monterey in the Salinas Valley, California, U.S.” This declaration can take the form of a letter printed on company letterhead.

Complying with the requirements is the responsibility of the Canadian importer or U.S. non-resident importer (NRI). Like 2021, a delegate may be assigned to complete the attestation form.

The full CFIA Temporary Import Requirements for Romaine Lettuce from the United States (2022) overview can be read here.

For any additional questions, please contact Western Growers Science Programs Director Afreen Malik at [email protected].