The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has (CFIA) updated the Automated Shipment Inspection Status Search Tool (ASSIST) with an enhanced tool called the CFIA Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant and Animal products.

This tool will allow importers to check the status of any food, plant or animal import declared electronically in real-time. The CFIA has completed additional testing on the tool since it was first announced in the spring of 2022, including consultation with industry stakeholders.

What’s New?

With the CFIA Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant and Animal products tool, importers will no longer have to call into the National Import Service Centre (NISC) to request the status of their shipment. They can simply visit the webpage anytime and anywhere, to quickly receive a status update.

In a statement, the CFIA said that it “strives to be agile and flexible to respond and adapt to an ever changing environment,” and that it is “constantly working to equip and enable both employees and stakeholders with improved access to information sharing and self-service through digital tools so stakeholders can make informed choices and comply with regulatory requirements.”

How does it work?

The CFIA Shipment tracker will share the status of any electronically declared import transaction received by the Agency. To check the status of your import, you’ll need to provide your Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) 14 digit transaction number. For meat shipments, importers can continue to use an Official Meat Inspection Certificate number, as well as your 14 digit transaction number.

As well, Canadian importers can also now check the inspection status of US, Australia and New Zealand meat import shipments.

More Information

You can access the CFIA Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant and Animal products here.

Learn more about how to use the CFIA Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant and Animal products here.

For more information, or if the CFIA Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant and Animal products is unavailable, contact the NISC at [email protected]

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