Canned Tuna Supplier
for Canada

The Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA, 2012) and its implementing Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR, 2019) represent Canada’s most significant food safety regulatory reform in decades, replacing the Fish Inspection Act and Fish Inspection Regulations for imported seafood. Under the SFCR, Canadian food importers must hold a CFIA Licence to import (the Safe Food for Canadians Licence — SFCL) and must have a documented Preventive Control Plan (PCP) that describes how food safety hazards are identified and controlled throughout the supply chain from foreign supplier through to Canadian distribution. For canned tuna importers, the PCP must address: biological hazards (Clostridium botulinum, histamine-forming bacteria), chemical hazards (methylmercury, histamine, lead, cadmium), physical hazards (metal fragments from canning equipment), and traceability requirements linking each production lot to the foreign manufacturing facility. The Canadian importer’s PCP must demonstrate that the foreign supplier (Top Tide Canning) has equivalent food safety controls — typically satisfied by FSSC 22000 certification, which CFIA recognises as equivalent to or exceeding the SFCR’s preventive control requirements.

The Canadian Nutrition Facts table (NFt) is mandated under the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), B.01.401 to B.01.418, administered by Health Canada. While the NFt is visually similar to the US FDA Nutrition Facts panel, several critical differences apply to canned tuna labeling: (1) The Canadian NFt uses a 55g drained reference serving size for canned fish — the same as the US 2016 update, but Canada’s format requires metric-only declaration with no imperial measurements; (2) Canadian NFt requires bilingual column headers in English and French — ‘Nutrition Facts / Valeur nutritive’ — with all mandatory nutrient names listed in both languages; (3) The % Daily Value column is based on Canadian reference values which differ slightly from US DVs for some nutrients; (4) Vitamin A and C are no longer mandatory in the Canadian NFt (as of the 2022 update), replaced by potassium and vitamin D as mandatory declarations; (5) The NFt format itself follows a prescribed layout with specific font sizes, ruling, and shading requirements set out in Health Canada’s NFt format guide. A US Nutrition Facts panel does not satisfy Canadian NFt requirements — separate label artwork is required for Canadian market distribution.

CUSMA (Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement — Canada’s official designation for what the US calls USMCA and Mexico calls T-MEC) is the free trade agreement that replaced NAFTA effective July 2020. CUSMA provides duty-free access for qualifying goods among Canada, the US, and Mexico. For canned tuna to qualify for CUSMA preferential treatment into Canada, it must satisfy the applicable Rules of Origin — for Chapter 16 products (prepared or preserved fish), the tariff classification change rule typically requires that the product undergo sufficient transformation within the CUSMA territory. Southeast Asian origin canned tuna — even if re-exported via the United States — does not satisfy CUSMA rules of origin because the fundamental transformation from raw tuna to canned tuna occurred outside the CUSMA zone. Therefore, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Philippine origin canned tuna pays Canada’s MFN tariff rate of approximately 20% regardless of whether it enters via a US port. CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) is separately relevant: Vietnam is a CPTPP member, and Vietnamese-origin canned tuna benefits from staged CPTPP tariff reductions into Canada — reaching 0% after the CPTPP tariff elimination schedule is complete.

Canada’s Official Languages Act and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (CPLA) together require that all mandatory label information on prepackaged foods sold in Canada appear in both English and French. This is a federal requirement applying to all of Canada — not just Quebec. Quebec additionally enforces provincial language requirements under the Charter of the French Language (Bill 101 and its 2022 amendment, Bill 96), which requires that French be ‘markedly predominant’ on commercial signage and public communications within Quebec — though for federally regulated prepackaged food labels, the federal bilingual standard governs, not provincial French-first rules. For canned tuna specifically: the common name (‘Light Tuna’ / ‘Thon Pâle’), net quantity, ingredient list, nutrition facts table headers and nutrient names, allergen declaration, and storage instructions must all appear in both English and French on every label sold anywhere in Canada. The French text must be no smaller and no less prominent than the English equivalent. A label with English-only text — such as a US-market label — is non-compliant in Canada and cannot be distributed commercially.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) administers commercial import clearance for all goods entering Canada, using the Customs Act and the CFIA’s import programs for food safety overlay. For canned tuna imports, the process involves: (1) the Canadian importer or their licensed customs broker files an entry through CBSA’s CERS (Customs Electronic Release System) or ECCCS (Electronic Commerce Client Requirements System) before or at the time of arrival; (2) CBSA assigns a risk channel — Release on Minimum Documentation (RMD) for low-risk known importers, or detailed examination; (3) CFIA may conduct a parallel import inspection under the SFCR — CFIA inspectors at major ports (Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Halifax, Montréal) check for SFCL (Safe Food for Canadians Licence) compliance, label compliance with FDR bilingual requirements, and may collect samples for laboratory testing; (4) upon CBSA release, the importer files a B3 Canada Customs Coding Form within the accounting deadline to pay applicable duties and GST/HST. The CFIA’s AIRS (Automated Import Reference System) database lists product-specific import requirements by HS code and country of origin — importers should verify current AIRS requirements for canned tuna before each shipment.

Ocean Wise is a sustainability certification programme operated by the Vancouver Aquarium, Canada’s leading marine conservation organisation. The Ocean Wise Seafood label indicates that a seafood product meets the Vancouver Aquarium’s sustainability criteria — which include evaluations of stock health, bycatch levels, fishing gear impact, and management effectiveness. In the Canadian retail market, particularly in British Columbia and at major national grocery chains (Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro), Ocean Wise certification is commercially significant because major retailers have made public commitments to source Ocean Wise-recommended seafood for their private label and house brand programmes. For canned skipjack tuna sourced from Western and Central Pacific pole-and-line or purse-seine fisheries with strong stock management, Ocean Wise typically provides a positive recommendation. The MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification, which is globally recognised and accepted by Canadian retailers, is the most widely used international sustainability credential. Canadian retailers may accept either Ocean Wise recommendation or MSC certification as evidence of responsible sourcing for their house brand sustainability commitments. Top Tide Canning provides documentation on the sustainability credentials of each fishery source for Canadian buyer review.

Loblaw Companies Limited — Canada’s largest food retailer operating Loblaw, No Frills, Real Canadian Superstore, Maxi (Quebec), and Provigo — and Empire Company Limited’s Sobeys banner (Sobeys, IGA Quebec, FreshCo, Safeway West) together control the majority of Canadian grocery market share and are the most significant private label opportunities for imported canned tuna. Loblaw’s PC (President’s Choice) private label is Canada’s largest food private label programme by revenue. PC sourcing for shelf-stable proteins requires: BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 8+ or FSSC 22000 certification; dolphin-safe documentation; country-of-origin transparency; compliance with Loblaw’s Vendor Code of Conduct (ethical sourcing); full bilingual EN/FR NFt label compliant with FDR; and category-specific specifications. Sobeys’ private label programme (Compliments brand) has equivalent food safety certification requirements — GFSI-recognised standard mandatory. Both retailers operate centralised private label buying functions in Toronto. Initial engagement typically requires submitting a supplier qualification questionnaire, product samples for sensory and analytical evaluation, and a factory audit (remote or onsite). Top Tide Canning’s FSSC 22000 certification satisfies the primary food safety entry requirement for both programmes.

The Safe Food for Canadians Licence (SFCL) issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is mandatory for any Canadian business that imports food for commercial purposes under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). The SFCL application is submitted online through CFIA’s My CFIA portal. The application requires: business legal name and address; description of imported food activities; identification of the foreign countries and food commodities to be imported; attestation that the applicant has a documented Preventive Control Plan (PCP) in place; and payment of the applicable CFIA licence fee. Processing time for a new SFCL application is typically 10–15 business days if the application is complete and no additional information is required. SFCL is renewed annually. Importantly, the SFCL is held by the Canadian importer — not the foreign manufacturer. A foreign manufacturer does not need a Canadian licence, but must be prepared to have their food safety documentation (FSSC 22000 certificate, HACCP plans, facility audit reports) reviewed as part of the Canadian importer’s PCP verification process. CFIA may conduct an onsite inspection of the foreign facility for high-risk products, though FSSC 22000 certification significantly reduces the likelihood of a CFIA-initiated foreign facility audit.