The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be updating import procedures for finished heat-treated pet food product samples on January 15, 2026. Please note that this update does not involve the import of ingredients for testing or raw samples – only finished heat-treated pet food product samples are impacted.
The zoosanitary conditions will be published in the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) for each country that is recognized by the CFIA for the export of animal products and by-products (APABP). For countries with a negotiated zoosanitary certificate for pet food, the same certificate will be used for samples. For countries without a negotiated zoosanitary certificate, generic conditions will be used.
For details, please see the published Notice to Industry on the APABP pet food webpage. For many imports, this will speed up service delivery times, as a case-by-case analysis will no longer be required. Please note that only one exporting country is allowed per import permit, and heat-treated and raw/minimally heat-treated pet food products must be on separate import permits.
If your company cannot meet the published conditions for processed pet food samples, you may apply for a derogation when applying for an import permit. Please see the Notice to Industry for details.
We hope that this information is helpful. Please bookmark the pet food webpage previously linked, and be sure you are subscribed to email notifications for pet food (under Animal Information -> All permits).
For questions about these changes, email the Animal Products and By-Products import inbox at APABPImport@inspection.gc.ca.
For routine inquiries, contact your local CFIA office.