Food Supply Chain & Trade

Import, export, and the regulatory relationships that move food across borders and through the supply chain.

If You Have a Live Issue

Shipment held at the border? See Importing Food into Canada for border holds, CFIA/CBSA roles, and response options.
Entering the Canadian market? See Labelling Requirements for products in Canada.
Co-packing or contract manufacturing question? See Co-packing and Contract Manufacturing for regulatory role allocation and agreement structure.
Export certification or foreign market access? See Exporting Food from Canada for CFIA certification and foreign regulatory reach-back.

Food businesses operate inside supply chains, not in isolation. The legal issues that arise in these relationships are partly regulatory and partly commercial, and the two interact. GSJ&Co. advises on the regulatory side: the requirements that apply to food moving across borders or through the supply chain, and the enforcement consequences when something goes wrong.

Import and Export Compliance

Importing food into Canada requires an SFC licence, a preventive control plan, and compliant labelling. Border holds, import refusals, and detention orders can disrupt shipments and trigger broader investigations. We advise importers on the requirements, resolve border issues, and structure compliance programmes that reduce disruption. For companies outside Canada looking to access the Canadian market, we provide the regulatory analysis for market entry.

Exporting requires CFIA export certification, and the domestic compliance record affects CFIA's willingness to certify. We advise on export readiness and coordinate with international counsel where the destination market's requirements reach back to the Canadian exporter.

Co-Packing and Contract Manufacturing

Co-packing relationships involve shared regulatory obligations. Under the SFCR, both the brand owner and the co-packer may carry licensing and preventive control requirements. When something goes wrong, the regulatory exposure follows the facts, not the contract. We advise on how CFIA's requirements apply to each party and what each party's PCP must address.

Food Fraud and Supply Chain Integrity

Food fraud is a growing enforcement priority for CFIA and an increasing source of commercial disputes. Country-of-origin misrepresentation, species substitution, and adulteration create regulatory exposure for companies throughout the supply chain, not just the party that committed the fraud. We advise on supply chain verification, supplier audit frameworks, and response strategies.

How We Work

Our supply chain practice is generally hands-on regulatory work. The questions are practical: what does CFIA expect of an importer's PCP, what does co-packing liability look like during a recall, what does a food fraud investigation mean for the companies upstream. We bring enforcement experience to those questions.

Last updated: March 2026. This page is maintained by GSJ&Co. and updated when there are material changes to the relevant regulatory framework.