Mexico - Certification Requirements

Acts and Regulations

Ministry of Trade and Industrial Development

Mexican Official Standard BILL
Regulations of the General Health Law on the Control of Activities, Establishments, Products and Services (Official Gazette of January 18, 1988)
NOM-030-SSA1-1993 (Goods and services. Fish products, Canned crustaceans, Sanitary specifications)
NOM-002-SSA1-1993 (Goods and services. Metal containers for foods and beverages, Specifications for seams, Health requirements)
NOM-030-PESC-2000 Compulsory Mexican Standard (Establishing requirements for detecting the presence of viral diseases in crustaceans) (Official Gazette of January 23, 2002)

Labelling:

- All labels on prepackaged products (excluding bulk) must appear in Spanish and must be at least the same size as those in other languages.

- All labels must indicate the:

- name and address of the importer as well as the name and address of the packer;
- name and description of the product;
- country of origin;
- package weight or volume;
- ingredients; and
- instructions for use.

- The expiry date of prepackaged products must be indicated with the words "Expiry date..." "Expiry..." or "Exp. date..." followed by the corresponding date.

Chilled product labels must also indicate:

- the lot number; and
- the day, month, year of processing.

- The statement "refrigerate at a maximum of 4 °C" or "keep refrigerated" must also appear.

Frozen product labels must also indicate:

- the lot number;
- the day, month, year of processing; and
- the percentage and name of the food additives used in the final product

- The following statements must also appear:

- "freeze at a maximum temperature of -18 °C" or "keep frozen"
- "Do not re-freeze once product has been defrosted"

Canned product labels must also indicate:

- the code number to identify the product, manufacturing date (year/month/day) and lot number

Exporters should consult with their importers for further details concerning Mexican labelling requirements.

Cartons of molluscan shellfish (fresh, refrigerated or frozen) must indicate:

- the date of harvest and area of harvest; and
- lot number, day/month and year processed.

Tolerances or Guidelines

Food in lead-soldered cans is NOT permitted.

Fresh-chilled and frozen product:

Parasites - 2 parasites/kg of sample unit
Foreign matter - none

Salted fish must either:

1. have a moisture content of 40% or less (maximum 40% humidity); or
2. have a salt (NaCl) content of 20% or more (minimum of 20% NaCl) based on the wet weight of the product.

Salted fish which does not meet this standard may be further tested for microbiological contaminants and if found to be unsatisfactory, could be rejected.

Chemical:

Ammoniacal Nitrogen - 30 mg/100 g

Fresh-chilled and frozen product and canned crustaceans:

Heavy Metals:

Cadmium (Cd) - 0.5 ppm
Mercury (Hg) - 1.0 ppm
Mercury - canned crustaceans - 0.5 ppm
(as methyl mercury)
Lead (Pb)- 1.0 ppm
Tin (Sn) - canned goods -100.0 ppm

Radioactivity (not for canned goods):

Cesium 134 & Cesium 137 - 370 Bq/kg
Iodine 131 - 70 Bq/kg

Food Additives:

The following food additives are permitted for frozen fish:

Potassium ascorbate -1.0 ppm (expressed as acid)
Sodium ascorbate - 1.0 ppm (expressed as acid)

Moisture retainers:

Tribasic calcium phosphate - 5.0 ppm (expressed as P₂O₅ alone or combined)
Tetrapotassic pyrophosphate - "
Tetrasodic pyrophosphate - "
Sodium polyphosphate - "
Monopotassic phosphate - "
Monosodic phosphate - "

The following food additives are permitted in canned crustaceans with a maximum level indicative of good manufacturing practices:

pH regulators:

Citric acid
Phosphoric acid
Sodium pyrophosphate

Flavour enhancers:

Monosodium glutamate

Humidity retainers:

Disodium pyrophosphate

Certification Requirements

For fish products exported to Mexico, a "Certificate of Fish Health and Hygiene for Mexico" (CFIA/ACIA 5206 (2002/04) mex12/99), a NAFTA Certificate and import permits are required, as per the following:

1. The "Certificate of Fish Health and Hygiene for Mexico" (CFIA/ACIA 5206 (2002/04) mex12/99)

Required for all fish products.

NOTE: Extra requirement for the certificate for the export of live and dead crustaceans and their products

The product description area of the "Certificate of Fish Health and Hygiene" (CFIA/ACIA 5206(2002/04) mex12/99) must include:

1. the scientific and common name of the species, and
2. the latitude and longitude of the zone where the crustaceans were harvested.

The latitude and longitude should be expressed as a range. If the product is harvested in other areas (e.g., China) and was only processed in Canada, the original harvesting area must be noted. Examples of latitude and longitude ranges for products harvested in Canada are as follows:

Latitude: > 40 ° N, < 80 ° N

Longitude: Pacific: Longitude: < 140 ° W, > 120 ° W
Atlantic: Longitude: > 70 ° W, < 34 ° W

2. NAFTA Certificate - obtained through Canada Border Services Agency.

3. Import Permits

The importer must obtain an import permit from the appropriate Mexican authority prior to arrival at the border. An import permit must be obtained through SALUD for all fish products, and an additional import permit must be obtained through CONAPESCA (Comision Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca) for live and dead crustaceans and their products.

a. Products other than Fresh or Live:

The exporter is required to forward a copy of the certificate and the NAFTA certificate (obtained through Canada Border Services Agency) to the buyer who will obtain an import permit from the Mexican authorities. A copy of the import permit and the original certificates must accompany the shipment. A turn-around time of 2-5 days is required to obtain the permit.

b. Fresh-Chilled or Live Products, including live lobster exported from non-registered facilities:

Master certificates and statements are issued, so that the importer can obtain a permit which covers a set time period and is not obliged to obtain one for each shipment.

i. Master "Certificate of Fish Health and Hygiene" (CFIA/ACIA 5206 (2002/04) mex 12/99) is issued with the following statement added:

"This certificate covers all shipments of fish products described above, for the period ending <DATE>".

ii. The following statement is added to each "Certificate of Fish Health and Hygiene" (CFIA/ACIA 5206 (2002/04) mex 12/99) accompanying the product:

"This Certificate is issued pursuant to Master Certificate #....<Dated>"