The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has (CFIA) updated its Automated Shipment Inspection Status Search Tool (ASSIST) with an enhanced feature called the CFIA Shipment Tracker for Food, Plant, and Animal Products. The tracker allows food importers to check the status of any import declared electronically in real time.

The CFIA Shipment Tracker will share the status of any electronically declared import transaction received by the agency. To check the status of an import, importers must use their 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 a 14-digit transaction number.

The U.S., Australia and New Zealand, can also use the tool to determine the inspection and transaction status for meat shipments. Importers from the three nations can use an Official Meat Inspection Certificate number to verify the inspection status, after receiving a Release Notification System (RNS) notice advising that CBSA has reviewed and released the shipment. Other countries will need to have a CBSA 14-digit transaction number to verify the status of their import using the tool.

With the CFIA Shipment Tracker, that importers will no longer have to call into the National Import Service Centre (NISC) to request the status of their shipment.