Importing Bangladeshi food into Canada: what you need first

Is there a market for Bangladeshi food in Canada?

Yes, but it is mostly a South Asian market, not only a Bangladeshi one. Canada has about 2.57 million South Asian people (2021 Census). The Bangladeshi-origin community is much smaller, at about 75,425 people in the same census. So Bangladeshi spice mixes, snacks and vegetables compete on price with Indian and Pakistani supply.

Duty is not the main barrier today. Canada’s Least Developed Country Tariff (LDCT) lets in goods from the poorest countries duty-free, except dairy, poultry and eggs above set quotas (Finance Canada). But Bangladesh is due for LDC graduation, which means leaving the UN list of least developed countries, on 24 November 2026. A request to delay that to 2029 was sent to the UN General Assembly in July 2026. As of 14 October 2026, no decision had been published. Canada has said it intends to keep full benefits for three years after graduation, but that is a stated intent, not a formal order.

Step 1: get a Safe Food for Canadians licence, and check who can hold one

The CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) issues the Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence. An importer needs one for almost all food. The exceptions are narrow: food additives, drinks over 0.5% alcohol, and some unprocessed bulk grains, oils, pulses and sugars that are not sold to consumers. Spices are not an exception.

The licence costs about C$299.86 for two years. The CFIA adjusts its fees for inflation every year, so check the current figure before you apply. Processing takes about 48 hours, and you cannot get a licence at the border.

The licence number must then appear exactly on your customs declaration. If it is missing or wrong, the CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) system rejects the electronic entry automatically (CBSA Customs Notice CN21-04). Fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, fish and honey are among the foods checked this way. You also need a business number and an import-export account, and you must register on the CBSA’s online CARM Client Portal before you import.

One rule surprises many exporters. An importer without a fixed place of business in Canada must have one in a country that the CFIA recognises as giving equal food-safety protection, and the food must ship directly from there. Otherwise, it can only import through a licensed Canadian importer (CFIA). Our research found no sign that Bangladesh is on that list. In practice, a Bangladeshi exporter sells to a licensed Canadian importer, who holds the licence, the plan and the records.

Step 2: write a preventive control plan and keep trace records

A preventive control plan (PCP) is your written food-safety plan. It must show that imported food was made, stored, packed and labelled with at least the same protection that Canadian rules require (CFIA). You must also keep records that trace each lot one step back, to your supplier, and one step forward, to your customer.

Here is the hard part for Bangladeshi food: your plan needs evidence from the supplier’s side. US import alerts name Bangladeshi makers for lead in turmeric, illegal food colours and Salmonella in spices. These are US records, not Canadian ones, but they show which hazards to test for.

Local testing is cheap but has limits. One lab in the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority’s lab directory lists a pesticide test at BDT 5,000 per sample, with results in about 7 days. The trade-off is that its pesticide tests on fruit and vegetables sit outside its accreditation, so check what your own food-safety plan can rely on.

Step 3: fresh produce needs DRC membership

If you import fresh fruit or vegetables, you need both the SFC licence and membership of the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) (CFIA). Our research did not find the current DRC membership fee, so ask the DRC directly.

Fresh produce costs also rose sharply in 2026. Air freight from Dhaka to Toronto rose from US$3.40 a kilo in January 2026 to about US$6. One exporter sold pointed gourd at US$2.20 a kilo while its all-in cost rose to US$3.90, because a fixed one-year price contract stopped it passing on the increase. While rates move like this, avoid fixed annual prices on air-freighted produce. Air freight from Dhaka to London also rose in 2026; see why Bangladeshi mangoes cost so much in London.

Step 4: labels in English and French

The mandatory information on consumer prepackaged food sold in Canada must appear in both English and French, under section 206 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (CFIA). There are a few exceptions, such as local foods, test-market foods and some specialty foods. Agree early with your supplier who designs and prints the bilingual label.

What this means for importers

Put the SFC licence, the CARM account and the preventive control plan in place before your first shipment leaves Bangladesh, not when it lands. Build the plan on evidence from the supplier: a site visit, lot tests for the known hazards, and a check before shipping. Loom & Harvest does supplier checks on the Bangladesh side for licensed importers, for fixed fees; we do not import food ourselves, and you can tell us what you import here.