To mitigate the risk associated with E. coli O157:H7 in romaine lettuce from the United States, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced the implementation of temporary Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) license conditions.
The measures will be in effect from Sept. 28 to Dec. 20.
According to the CFIA, this action was taken to address the recurring outbreaks of foodborne illnesses related to E. coli O157:H7 in romaine lettuce imported from the United States. Investigations by U.S. authorities have traced the source of the outbreaks to the California Salinas Valley counties of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Benito, and Monterey.
During the designated period, importers of romaine lettuce and salad mixes containing romaine lettuce from the U.S. must adhere to one of the following requirements:
- Declare that the product does not originate from the Salinas Valley counties of California mentioned above, or
- Submit an attestation form and Certificates of Analysis for each shipment, confirming that the romaine lettuce is free from detectable levels of E. coli O157:H7.
FoodWorld 