Montreal is the main Atlantic route into Canada for dehydrated onion and garlic from India, and it is the place where French language rules matter most. The federal rules, the CFIA and the Safe Food for Canadians licence, are set out in our Canada import guide. Here is what is specific to Montreal and Quebec.
The route via the St Lawrence
The Port of Montreal sits on the St Lawrence River, far inland from the Atlantic, and is served by transatlantic container lines. From India's west coast the usual route is through the Suez Canal or around Africa, with transhipment in the Mediterranean or northern Europe, then across the Atlantic. Some cargo arrives through Halifax and comes on by rail. Ice on the river in winter can affect schedules, so build in slack for January to March arrivals.
Montreal is also a rail hub, so some importers land here and move goods on to Toronto or the US Midwest. Ask your forwarder which route is more reliable in the season you ship.
French labelling
Federal rules already require bilingual English and French information on consumer packs. Quebec's Charter of the French Language goes further: French must be on product labels, and other languages may not be more prominent. The rules were tightened by Bill 96, with more provisions taking effect in 2025. The Office québécois de la langue française enforces them. If you repack onion or garlic powder for Quebec shops, have your label checked before printing.
Bulk cartons sold to a manufacturer are a different case, but Quebec customers will often ask for French product names and documents anyway. Agree this with the plant before production so the carton printing is right.
Who buys in Montreal
Quebec's food industry includes meat processors, bakeries, soup and sauce makers and a large restaurant sector. Meat processors use onion and garlic powder in seasoning for sausages and deli meats, and they will expect microbiological results for each lot. Soup and sauce makers favour granules and powder, and food service distributors take minced and chopped onion. Quebec's agri-food sector also has its own provincial oversight under MAPAQ for businesses that process or repack food.
Climate and storage
Montreal has hot, humid summers and very cold winters. In summer, humidity in warehouses makes powder cake. In winter, cold containers opened in a warm warehouse can form condensation on the cartons. Keep powder in sealed liners and let cold containers warm before you open them. See shelf life of dehydrated onion and garlic.
Tests and documents
Test each lot against Health Canada's maximum residue limits, plus salmonella, E. coli and total plate count, and ask your broker to check the HS code in AIRS. The importer needs an SFC licence that covers importing. At the time of writing there is no India-Canada trade agreement in force, so check the CBSA Customs Tariff for the duty treatment.
Other Canadian cities
For the Ontario market, read the Toronto guide. If the Pacific route suits you better, see the Vancouver guide.
How we help
We audit dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic plants in Gujarat, have every lot tested at an NABL-accredited lab to Canadian limits, check carton marking and supervise loading, and check the export documents, for one written fee agreed in advance. You buy direct from the plant. To plan a Montreal order, book a free sourcing review.