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Exporting soft drinks and other beverages from Canada

Non-alcoholic beverages exported from Canada are food under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations. Making or packaging them for export needs a licence, and a CFIA export certificate needs a licence to export and a preventive control plan. Teas and coffees may need a phytosanitary certificate, and some juices and sugar products fall under quota permits.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Export certificates
The CFIA, including the Certificate of Free Sale (CFIA/ACIA 5786)
Licence
Needed to make or package for export, and to obtain a CFIA certificate
Teas and coffees
Phytosanitary certificate where the destination requires one
Quota permits
Global Affairs Canada, for some juices and sugar-containing products
Export declaration
To the CBSA, for most destinations other than the US

Before the goods leave

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is the drink made, packaged and labelled under a Safe Food for Canadians licence? Read more
  2. 2Does the destination ask for a CFIA certificate, such as a certificate of free sale? Read more
  3. 3Is it a tea, herbal tea or coffee that may need plant health certification? Read more
  4. 4Is it under a CETA or CUSMA quota that needs an export permit? Read more
  5. 5Is an export declaration needed, and will the importer claim a preferential rate? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Licensing and Canadian requirements

Beverages are food under the SFCR, so the licensing and traceability rules for exported food apply to them.

  • Manufacturing, processing, treating, preserving, grading, packaging and labelling food that is to be exported must be done under a licence (SFCR section 7).
  • Ice for human consumption, such as ice cubes added to a drink, needs a licence if it is made to be exported.
  • You need a licence to export if you want a CFIA export certificate or another export permission; businesses that only export and need neither do not.
  • Exported food must meet Canadian requirements for safety, standards, labelling and packaging, unless it qualifies under SFCR section 16 and is labelled "Export".
  • Exporters keep traceability documents, with the lot code and who supplied and received the food, for two years (SFCR section 90).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the licence, the preventive control plan and the traceability records with each product and lot, dated, and shows when one lapses. Ask about this

CFIA certificates and plant health certification

The certificates the CFIA issues for food, and the phytosanitary certificates some plant-based drinks and ingredients need.

  • The Certificate of Free Sale is issued only to licence holders, for food made in Canada by a licensed manufacturer and still in Canada when requested. It can be requested through My CFIA for manufactured foods and processed fruit and vegetable products.
  • It does not replace certificates negotiated with a country for a product, or other import requirements of the destination.
  • The CFIA lists coffee and teas, including herbal teas, and frozen or dried fruits among foods that may need plant health certification.
  • The CFIA issues phytosanitary certificates only when the importing country's plant protection organisation requires them; exporters apply on form CFIA/ACIA 3369, or through My CFIA for the US and Mexico.
  • The CFIA certifies only products still in Canada, so certificates are requested before shipping.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each certificate with the shipment and lot it covers, dated, and reads it against what the destination asks for. Ask about this

Export permits for beverages under quota

Some drinks and drink preparations need a permit from Global Affairs Canada to be shipped under a quota with a preferential duty rate.

  • The CETA processed foods origin quota (Export Control List item 5207) includes juices under subheadings 2009.81 and ex 2009.89, and preparations under 2106.90; shipments under the quota need a shipment-specific export permit.
  • The exporter refers to Annex 5-A on the commercial invoice and gives the importer a copy of the permit.
  • Sugar-containing products, including some under headings 2101 and 2106, exported to the United States under Canada's US quota quantities are controlled under item 5203.
  • Allocations under the CUSMA sugar-containing products quota go to residents of Canada who produce the products in their own facilities.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each quota permit with the shipment it was issued for, and shows a quota shipment that has no permit on record. Ask about this

Export declaration and reporting to the CBSA

How commercial goods are reported to the Canada Border Services Agency before they leave Canada, and what the exporter keeps afterwards.

  • In most cases an export declaration is needed for commercial goods. The most common exceptions are goods exported for consumption in the United States and non-restricted goods valued at less than CAN $2,000.
  • Goods moving through the United States to another destination, including goods entering the US on a transportation and exportation (T and E) bond, need a declaration.
  • Restricted goods, those controlled, regulated or prohibited under Canadian law, need their permit, certificate or licence whatever their value; going to the US they need no declaration, but the permit must still be presented.
  • Declarations are made through the Canadian Export Reporting System (CERS) or G7 EDI, with a business number and RM export program identifier. The exporter gives the carrier the proof of report number.
  • Minimum time limits: 2 hours before loading for air and rail, 48 hours before loading for marine, 2 hours before delivery to the post office, and immediately before export by highway.
  • The exporter may delegate reporting to a customs service provider but remains responsible for the information, and keeps export records in Canada for 6 years.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the proof of report number, permits and export records with each shipment, dated, and shows what is missing before the goods are loaded. Ask about this

Certificates of origin under trade agreements

The document that lets the importer claim a preferential duty rate under one of Canada's free trade agreements, such as CUSMA, CETA or CPTPP.

  • A certificate of origin certifies that the good meets a free trade agreement's rules of origin; the importer must have it to claim preferential tariff treatment.
  • Under CETA, the Canada-UK TCA, CEFTA and CUFTA it is an origin declaration on an invoice or other commercial document. Canadian exporters enter their Business Number in the CETA declaration.
  • Under CUSMA and CPTPP it is a set of minimum data elements with no prescribed format, which the importer, exporter or producer may complete.
  • A certificate can cover one shipment, or identical goods over a blanket period of up to 12 months. It is valid for four years from signature.
  • Whoever certifies origin keeps the certificate and supporting records for six years, and must tell everyone they gave it to of any change affecting its accuracy.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each origin declaration with the products and shipments it covers, shows when a blanket period runs out, and answers importers' origin questions from the record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ExporterThe licence to export where a certificate is sought, the destination's requirements, permits and the export declaration.Certificates, permits and declarations kept with each shipment, dated.
Manufacturer or bottlerA licence for making, packaging and labelling, the preventive control plan and traceability.Licence and plan kept with each product, ready for the exporter.
Customs service provider or freight forwarderReporting the export on the exporter's behalf where delegated.Proof of report and permits in one place for the carrier.
CFIAIssuing certificates of free sale, other food export certificates and phytosanitary certificates.Certificates read against the destination's conditions before shipping.

Where are the goods going?

Most of what soft drinks and other beverages have to meet is set where they are sold. Each guide sets out the rules on arrival, with the official source for each.

Questions businesses ask

Do I need a licence to export soft drinks or juice from Canada?
Making, processing, packaging or labelling a beverage that will be exported needs a Safe Food for Canadians licence. A business that only exports, and needs no CFIA certificate or other export permission, needs no licence.
Can I get a certificate of free sale for a Canadian beverage?
The CFIA issues the Certificate of Free Sale (CFIA/ACIA 5786) to licensed businesses for food, including beverages, made in Canada by a licensed manufacturer and still in Canada. Requests for manufactured foods and processed fruit and vegetable products can be made through My CFIA.
Do I need a phytosanitary certificate to export tea from Canada?
Only if the importing country requires one. The CFIA lists coffee and teas, including herbal teas, among foods that may need plant health certification, and issues phytosanitary certificates when the destination's plant protection organisation asks for them.
Does bottled ice or ice for drinks need a licence for export?
Yes. The CFIA says you need a licence if you manufacture ice for human consumption, such as ice cubes added to a beverage, that is to be exported or traded between provinces.
Do I need a permit to export juice to the EU?
Only to use the CETA processed foods origin quota. Juices under subheadings 2009.81 and ex 2009.89 shipped under that quota need a shipment-specific permit from Global Affairs Canada, and the invoice must refer to Annex 5-A.
Are drink mixes containing sugar controlled for export to the US?
Some are. Sugar-containing products listed in Export Control List item 5203, including certain preparations under headings 2101 and 2106, are controlled when exported to the United States under Canada's US quota quantities.
Can the CFIA certify a beverage after it has left Canada?
No. The CFIA issues export certificates only for products still in Canada, so request the certificate before the shipment leaves.
Do I need an export declaration for drinks going to the United States?
Not for non-restricted goods exported for consumption in the United States. Shipments to other countries worth CAN $2,000 or more, or going through the US to another country, need one.
How long must I keep records of exported beverages?
Traceability documents under the SFCR for two years, accessible in Canada. The CBSA asks exporters to keep export records in Canada for six years.
How does Compliant Always help with exporting from Canada?
Our team reads the rules for the routes you ship. Compliant Always shows which export documents apply to your product, keeps them with the shipment beside what the destination asks for, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

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