Agri-Food Trade Service

United States - Market Access

The ATS website intends to help you build your business beyond Canada. The Market Access section is meant to stimulate your planning when preparing to enter a foreign market. This section will not only answer questions, but also prompt you to ask more; the more information and answers you gather, the stronger the likelihood for successful exporting.

The following resources were assembled to make information gathering on market access issues as straightforward as possible for ATS clients. It is assumed that at this stage of information gathering, the exporter has taken the measures to become exporter ready according to Canadian standards.

General Assistance and Exporting Guidelines

These resources span helpful guides and tips, to timely industry alerts addressing regulation changes. Each resource should be consulted to ensure a well rounded comprehension of the process of exporting to the U.S.

Exporting to the United States: A Guide for Canadian Businesses - whether you're a new or established exporter to the U.S., this guide will provide you with practical information that will make your export business to the U.S. easier to start, maintain and expand (ExportSource)

Tips for Doing Business in the U.S
There are differences between doing business in Canada and the U.S. While many foreign companies have succeeded in doing business in the U.S., others have failed, including some very large corporations. Although the American market seems very similar to Canada's, there are some significant differences to be aware of before going in. (ITCan 2006)

U.S. Food Industry Resource Directory AAFC 2010
This year's 2010 revision of the 1996 first edition contains a number of new association profiles, while those that are no longer current have been deleted. Also included in the directory are U.S. federal government agencies and publishing companies as resources for a variety of industry, market and trade reports, publications and statistics on the processed and agri-food industries.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Tips for New Importers and Exporters - to avoid potential problems in the clearance of your merchandise through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), familiarize yourself with CBP policies and procedures prior to actually exporting your goods

Import Spotlight – collection of helpful links for Canadian exporters, as well as updates on trade and trade programs

Status Reports on Quotas - weekly commodity status reports for imported agriculture, food products, textile products, and other merchandise subject to Tariff Rate Quotas

The Embassy of the United States of America

Border Help - what you need to know before crossing the border, compiled by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa Canada

Canadian Border Services Agency

Handy Customs Guide - understand the reporting requirements which must be fulfilled in order to meet your obligations under the Customs Act

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Import Alerts - access current import alerts issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to better understand what they are looking for and what they reprimand

United States Department of Agriculture

Marketing and Trade: Importing Goods – import regulations, procedures, checklists etc. for meat, poultry, egg, plant and animal imports into the U.S.

Bioterrorism Act and Requirements

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as Customs and Border Protection are responsible for carrying out certain provisions of the Bioterrorism Act; particularly those pertaining to the protection of the food and drug supply. As an exporter, this Act influences the measures you take towards exporting your goods successfully and securely to the U.S. market.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

FDA Develops New Tools to Further Improve the Security of Food
As part of the FDA's comprehensive Food Protection Plan initiative, the agency has released self-assessment tools for industry to minimize the risk of intentional contamination of food and cosmetics. The tools are companion pieces designed to make previously issued industry guidance documents more user-friendly and practical.

The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 – consult the Act, the plans for implementing the Act and what are required of you as a food exporter under this Act

Protecting the Food Supply: FDA Actions on New Bioterrorism Legislation - guidance on exporting issues such as maintenance of records, registration of food facilities and prior notice of imported food shipments

Registration and Prior Notice Small Entity Compliance Guides - What You Need to Know About Registration of Food Facilities and What You Need to Know About Prior Notice of Imported Food Shipments; guides which cover the key points of the two new interim final regulations for manufacturing/processing, packing and holding facilities, and for importers, filers, and brokers of imported food (available in English, French and Spanish)

Sending Food through International Mail - what to do when sending your product samples into the U.S.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Trade Guidance for Bioterrorism Act – guidance on the Act from a Customs and Border Protection perspective

Partnerships to Secure the Supply Chain – information on the Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) programs

NAFTA and its Implications

International Trade Canada

Find the text of the Agreement, publications and general information - topics include an overview of the NAFTA, rules of origin, temporary entry of business persons, NAFTA institutions and contacts

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Details on requirements according to NAFTA

Forms – current customs forms which may be required in the process of exporting to this market, specifically CBP Form 434 - North American Free Trade Agreement Certificate of Origin

Requirements for Electronic Ruling Requests - procedures under this rulings program apply to requests for binding classification rulings under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) and certain marking, origin, NAFTA and applicability of Trade Program rulings