June 17, 2020 – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has published the following notice: The Government of Canada is aware of industry concerns regarding import restrictions or testing of imported food products for COVID-19 by China, as a response to the new outbreak linked to a Beijing market. As of June 16, China has not officially notified Canada of additional import restrictions or the testing of imported food products for COVID-19. The Government of Canada remains in close contact with the Canadian Mission in Beijing and will continue to seek further clarifications from official sources. Although not official, we understand from various sources in China that border officials may be testing imported products from several countries for COVID-19. There are no clear details on the type of products that will be targeted or the delay that may be caused for clearing customs as a result of testing. However, there are indications that meat, poultry, aquatic products and fruit and vegetables may be subject to testing. Testing might have already begun in some ports, and the process, type of products and timeframes may vary from port to port. We encourage Canadian Industry and exporters to continue to work with Chinese importers as the situation develops. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reiterates that there is no scientific evidence that food is a likely source or route of transmission of the virus and there have been no confirmed cases of food or food packaging being associated with the transmission of COVID-19. The CFIA is also engaged with Canada’s international partners on the matter and is committed to continue to engage with Canadian industry as this issue evolves.