You can import dehydrated onion and garlic from India into Canada, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) regulates it under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations. What usually stops a shipment is paperwork on the Canadian side: no valid Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence on the import declaration, the wrong code from the CFIA's Automated Import Reference System, or a label that does not meet bilingual rules.
The good news is that dried onion and garlic are low-risk, shelf-stable foods. Get the licence and codes right and most shipments clear without trouble.
The CFIA and the SFC licence
The importer of record in Canada must hold an SFC licence that covers importing food. The CFIA checks the licence number on the import declaration automatically and rejects transactions without a valid one. Apply through My CFIA well before the first container, and confirm the licence lists importing as an activity.
Licence holders must also have a written preventive control plan and keep traceability records, one step forward and one step back. In practice that means your Canadian file should hold the supplier's details, lot numbers, lab reports and the distribution records for each lot.
AIRS and classification
The CFIA's Automated Import Reference System (AIRS) tells your broker, for each tariff code, origin and end use, what the CFIA needs at entry. A common mistake the CFIA has reported is choosing a code for a fresh product when the goods are dried, which can trigger a rejection. Have your broker run the exact HS code for onion flakes, onion powder or garlic powder from India through AIRS before shipping.
Lab tests that matter in Canada
- Pesticide residues against Health Canada's maximum residue limits, published in its MRL database. Where no specific limit is set, a general limit applies, so ask the lab to report against Canadian limits.
- Ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol. Canada's rules on ethylene oxide for spices and dried vegetables differ from the EU's, so check the current Health Canada position. If a lot could be resold to the EU, test it either way. See ethylene oxide treatment and EU rejections.
- Salmonella, E. coli, total plate count, yeast and mould, which matter to Canadian meat and snack makers.
- Moisture and foreign matter, which a Canadian buyer will write into the spec.
Labelling in English and French
Consumer packs sold in Canada need the mandatory information in both English and French, including the common name and net quantity in metric units. Quebec adds its own French language requirements. Bulk shipping containers going to a manufacturer can have lighter rules, but check with your broker or the CFIA labelling tool rather than assume. Blends must declare allergens such as mustard and sesame, which Canada treats as priority allergens.
Documents
- Commercial invoice or Canada Customs Invoice, packing list and bill of lading.
- Certificate of origin. There is no India-Canada trade agreement in force at the time of writing; the two sides are negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, so check for changes.
- Lab reports from an NABL-accredited lab, tied to each lot. See are NABL lab reports accepted abroad.
- A phytosanitary certificate only if AIRS asks for one. Read do dehydrated vegetables need a phytosanitary certificate.
Duty
Duty depends on the tariff classification. Check it in the Canada Border Services Agency's Customs Tariff, and remember GST, plus provincial sales tax rules on resale. Your broker will account for the goods through the CBSA's CARM system. We do not quote rates.
What Canada buys and how it arrives
Canadian food makers use onion and garlic powder and granules in meat products, snack seasoning, soups, sauces and spice blends, and minced onion in food service. Containers from Mundra, Pipavav or Nhava Sheva reach Canada two ways: across the Pacific to Vancouver or Prince Rupert, often after transhipment in Asia, or west through Suez and across the Atlantic to Montreal or Halifax. Transit is often five to eight weeks depending on routing; ask your forwarder.
Cities
How we help
We find and audit dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic plants, have every lot tested at an NABL-accredited lab against Canadian limits, supervise loading and check that the invoice, lot numbers and lab reports match what your broker needs, for one written fee agreed in advance. More in a sourcing agent in India for Canadian importers, or book a free sourcing review.