Shipping Food to Canada: The Complete Guide for US Perishable Brands

Can You Ship Food to Canada? The Short Answer

Yes, but you need four things before your first shipment crosses the border:

1. Safe Food for Canadians License (SFCL) — required for most food importers
2. Bilingual labeling — English and French, with Canadian-specific nutrition facts
3. HS code classification — determines your duty rate and any additional requirements
4. Cold chain packaging — insulated containers with gel packs or dry ice rated to survive transit + customs delays

Skip any one of these and your shipment can be held at the border, refused by Canadian customs, or arrive spoiled. The good news: once the initial setup is done, the ongoing process is straightforward — especially if you automate the documentation.

Safe Food for Canadians License (SFCL)

The SFCL is administered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and is mandatory for most businesses importing food into Canada [2]. It's the first gate you need to pass.

Some food categories are exempt from the SFCL requirement. The CFIA provides a quick eligibility questionnaire that takes about 5 minutes. If you're not exempt, apply well before you plan to ship — don't wait until your first Canadian order comes in.

Important: The SFCL applies to the Canadian importer of record, not the US shipper. If you're shipping DTC to Canadian consumers, you may need a Canadian customs broker or import partner to hold the license on your behalf, depending on your business structure.

Canadian Food Labeling Requirements

Every food product sold in Canada must have bilingual labeling in English and French. This is non-negotiable — even for DTC shipments. Your US labels almost certainly don't comply, which means you need Canada-specific packaging or bilingual sticker overlays.

Mandatory Label Elements

• Product name — in both English and French, using the CFIA's common name requirements
• Net quantity — in metric units (grams, kilograms, millilitres, litres)
• Ingredient list — bilingual, in descending order by weight
• Nutrition Facts table — Canadian format (slightly different from US FDA format)
• Allergen declarations — must follow Canadian priority allergen list (includes mustard and sulphites, which aren't on the US list)
• Name and address of the Canadian importer or distributor
• Best-before date — required for products with a shelf life of 90 days or less
• Country of origin — "Product of USA" or equivalent

Product-Specific Requirements

Certain food categories have additional labeling rules beyond the baseline. These include:

If your product falls into any of these categories, check the CFIA's specific labeling guidance for that category before shipping. Getting the label wrong doesn't just risk a customs hold — it can result in a product recall after it's already been delivered.

The Nutrition Facts Table Difference

Canada's Nutrition Facts format is similar to the US FDA version but not identical. Key differences as of 2026:

• Serving sizes may differ from US standards for some product categories
• % Daily Value calculations use Canadian reference amounts, not US
• Added sugars declaration is required (updated in 2022)
• The table must appear in both English and French (or one bilingual table)

Don't assume your US nutrition label works in Canada. Have your Canadian labels reviewed by someone familiar with CFIA requirements before your first shipment.

Duties, Taxes, and CUSMA

Three types of charges apply to food imported into Canada: customs duties, Goods and Services Tax (GST), and provincial sales tax (if applicable in the destination province).

CUSMA (Formerly NAFTA)

The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which replaced NAFTA in July 2020 [3], provides preferential duty rates — often zero — for qualifying food products originating in the United States. To claim CUSMA benefits, you must file a Certificate of Origin documenting that your product meets the rules of origin criteria.

This can save you significantly. Without CUSMA, duty rates on food products range from 0% to over 300% (dairy is the extreme example — Canada's supply management system imposes duties above 200% on many dairy products that exceed tariff rate quotas). With CUSMA and a valid Certificate of Origin, most non-dairy US food products enter at zero or near-zero duty.

GST and Provincial Sales Tax

Canada's GST is 5% on most imported goods. Many basic food items (unprocessed, unpackaged) are GST-exempt, but most DTC food products — packaged, processed, or prepared foods — are subject to the full 5%. Provincial sales tax varies by destination province and ranges from 0% (Alberta) to 10% (some provinces with HST).

HS Code Classification

Your Harmonized System (HS) code determines your duty rate, any additional requirements, and which CUSMA provisions apply. You can look up your HS code using Canada Post's HS code finder — enter a few product details and you'll have the code in seconds. Get this right the first time. An incorrect HS code can result in overpaying duties, customs holds, or post-import audits.

Cold Chain and Packaging for Canadian Shipments

International perishable shipments face a challenge that domestic ones don't: customs delays. Even with perfect documentation, your package may sit at the border for hours — sometimes a full day. Your packaging needs to account for this extra time.

Packaging Strategy

Use the same insulated packaging you'd use for a domestic shipment of equivalent distance, then add a buffer for customs. If your destination is Toronto and transit from your US facility is normally 1 day, pack as if it's a 2-day shipment. If it's Vancouver, pack for 3+ days.

• EPS foam coolers with minimum 1.5-inch walls for overnight, 2-inch for multi-day transit
• Gel packs for refrigerated products (32–40°F) — no hazmat labeling required, which simplifies customs
• Dry ice for frozen products — requires UN 1845 Class 9 labeling and IATA compliance for air transport

Dry Ice for Cross-Border Shipments

Dry ice adds a layer of complexity for international shipments. IATA restricts dry ice to 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs) per package on passenger aircraft and up to 200 kg on cargo-only flights. Most express shipments to Canada travel on cargo aircraft, so the practical limit is rarely an issue — but verify with your carrier.

Every cross-border package containing dry ice must display the UN 1845 label with the net weight in kilograms. This is in addition to any food-specific labeling required by Canadian regulations.

Carrier Selection and Transit Times

Both FedEx and UPS offer express services to Canada with transit times of 1–3 business days from most US locations. For perishable food, express is the only viable option — ground transit times to Canada are too unpredictable for temperature-sensitive products.

UPS International Requirements

UPS requires a signed International Special Commodities (ISC) contract before accepting perishable goods for cross-border routes. This contract takes 1–2 weeks to process. Start early — don't wait until you have a Canadian order in your queue.

Local Courier Services

For last-mile delivery within Canadian metro areas, local courier services can offer faster and cheaper delivery than the major carriers' Canadian networks. A multi-carrier shipping platform that includes Canadian local couriers can route the cross-border leg via FedEx or UPS and the final delivery via a local service — combining reliability with speed.

Customs Clearance Process

Customs clearance is the step that catches most brands off guard. Even with all documentation in order, delays can happen — and for perishable food, every hour at the border is an hour your product is getting warmer.

Required Documentation

• Commercial invoice — product description, value, quantity, country of origin
• SFCL number — your (or your importer's) Safe Food for Canadians License
• HS code — correct classification for each product
• Certificate of Origin — to claim CUSMA preferential duty rates
• Packing list — detailed contents of each package
• Dry ice declaration — if applicable, with net weight in kg

Minimizing Customs Delays

The single most effective way to speed customs clearance is accurate, complete documentation. Incomplete or inconsistent paperwork is the #1 cause of holds. Common mistakes:

• HS code doesn't match the product description on the commercial invoice
• Missing or expired SFCL number
• Net weight on dry ice label doesn't match the customs declaration
• Certificate of Origin not included (resulting in full duty instead of CUSMA rate)

Build customs documentation into your shipping workflow as a template — not a manual process you reconstruct for each order. Automate where possible. The consistency alone will reduce your hold rate significantly.

Keep Records

Canadian customs authorities may request documentation up to 6 years after import. Keep copies of every commercial invoice, Certificate of Origin, and SFCL correspondence. If a shipment is lost, damaged, or disputed, these records are your only defense.

Tracking and Customer Communication

International shipments create more customer anxiety than domestic ones. Customers want to know: Did it clear customs? When will it arrive? Is my food still cold? Proactive communication reduces "where is my order?" tickets and builds trust — especially with first-time international customers.

What to Communicate

• Order confirmation: Include estimated delivery date, note that customs may add 1–2 days
• Shipped notification: Tracking number + carrier + expected delivery window
• Customs hold alert: If the package is held, notify the customer proactively with an updated ETA
• Delivered confirmation: Especially important for perishables — prompt the customer to refrigerate immediately

A branded tracking page that shows real-time status — including customs clearance — reduces support tickets by giving customers self-serve visibility into their shipment status. It's more effective than sending tracking emails alone, because customers can check on their own schedule instead of searching through their inbox.

Set Shipping Expectations on Your Website

Clearly define your Canada shipping policy on your website: which provinces you ship to, expected transit times, any additional costs (duties, taxes), and cutoff times for orders. Canadian customers are accustomed to paying duties — it won't surprise them if you communicate it upfront. What will surprise them (badly) is unexpected charges at delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions