Food Mail Program
The following sections are covered in this chapter:
2 | What Is the Food Mail Program? |  |
The Food Mail Program is a service administered by Canada Post and partially funded by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) for the transportation costs incurred when shipping nutritious food and other essential items to isolated communities within Canada.
The Food Mail Program is an airport to airport freight service. Shippers are required to have a Food Mail Program Agreement with Canada Post to be eligible to ship under the Food Mail Program. A list of communities served by this Program is included in this chapter. See section 14 “Entry Points and Destinations”.
Food Mail items can be:
- nutritious perishable food
- non-perishable food
- essential non-food items.
For more information concerning the Food Mail Program, contact a Canada Post Sales Representative.
Visit www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/foodmail for more information about the Food Mail Program.
3 | Unacceptable Items | |
Any Food Mail Program item is considered unacceptable if:
- it is or contains any dangerous substance or article prohibited by law or defined as a dangerous good (see the chapter “Non-mailable Matter” for more information)
- it does not meet the size and weight specifications for this service (see Table 1 for more information)
- it is improperly prepared or insecurely packed or wrapped.
Canada Post reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to inspect the contents of any parcel to ensure eligibility, and to refuse any parcel for shipment under the Food Mail Program, for any reason and without justification.
Shipments or portions thereof identified as ineligible will be refused at Food Mail and Non-food Mail Entry Points (see section 9 “Eligible and Ineligible Products”).
4 | Size and Weight | |
Each Food Mail item must meet the size and weight specifications shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Food Mail Items Size and Weight
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NOTE 1:
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Oversize surcharges are applicable if any single dimension exceeds 1 m. |
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2:
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Volumetric weight does not apply to items shipped under the Food Mail Program. |
5 | Pricing Information | |
To obtain information on pricing:
6 | Payment Options | |
Table 2 lists the acceptable proofs of payment for Food Mail Program items. Some restrictions or conditions may apply.
Table 2: Food Mail Program Proofs of Payment
Table 3 lists the acceptable methods of payment for Food Mail Program items. Some restrictions or conditions may apply.
Table 3: Food Mail Program Methods of Payment
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*
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In order to access Food Mail prices Customers must prepare their Orders using the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST). |
For more information, see section 4.6 “Pay for the Item” of the “ABCs of Mailing” chapter.
7 | Service Standards at a Glance | |
Due to the nature of the contents shipped under the Food Mail Program, delivery will be made within 72 hours for non-perishable foods and non-foods items. Nutritious perishable foods are generally delivered within 48 hours. These service standards are not guaranteed.
8 | Labels and Documentation Required | |
Canada Post provides a desktop version of Electronic Shipping Tools (EST) to all Food Mail shippers. An electronically generated Manifest must be completed for all Orders. The Manifest number must be clearly visible for quick and thorough inspection.
A separate Manifest must be completed for each destination. The completed Manifest must be given to the authorized postal employee at the time of mailing for verification and distribution of the various copies.
9 | Eligible and Ineligible Products | |
The following charts do not represent a complete list of products, but are provided to determine whether the product is eligible under the Food Mail Program:
Table 4: Eligible Products – Nutritious Perishable Food Table 5: Ineligible Products – Convenience Perishable Food Table 6: Eligible Products – Non-Perishable Food Table 7: Priority Perishable Food Table 8: Ineligible Products – Foods of Little Nutritional Value Table 9: Eligible Products – Non-Food Items Table 10: Ineligible Products – Non-Food Items
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NOTE :
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All non-food items not specifically identified in this list are eligible. |
10 | Addressing | |
Addresses must be legible, complete and include the correct postal code. See the chapter “Addressing Guidelines” for complete details.
11 | Mail Preparation and Presortation | |
Food Mail Program items must be securely wrapped with sufficient cushioning and reinforcing material to prevent loss of or damage to the item, damage to postal equipment or other mail and injury to persons handling the item.
The Customer must meet certain scheduling requirements and special mail preparation requirements, including sortation and containerization requirements, as specified by Canada Post from time to time.
Visit the Canada Post website for handling guidelines for various users of Food Mail shipments at: www.canadapost.ca/corporate/about/food_mail_program/pdf/guidelines-e.pdf
12 | Deposit of Items Under the Food Mail Program | |
Items must be deposited at the air carrier facility or at a designated postal facility in a location identified as a designated Entry Point for each destination. See section 14 “Entry Points and Destinations” for more information.
Each Food Mail Entry Point has a unique deposit schedule which Food Mail shippers must abide by. Visit the Canada Post website at www.canadapost.ca/corporate/about/food_mail_program/account-e.asp for deposit schedules by Entry Point.
12.2 | Tendering of Food Items |
All food shipments tendered under the Food Mail Program must be by Product type (e.g., Perishable Food, Non-Food) for each Food Mail destination upon deposit at the designated Entry Points for any particular destination.
Customers are required to notify Canada Post at each Food Entry Point at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of all proposed tendering of food shipments. Customers must also notify Canada Post at least 14 days prior to significantly large shipments, such as the stocking of a new store or the re-supply of merchandise lost due to fire, floods or other causes.
Customers should provide the following information in order to prevent unnecessary delays and/or refusals:
- total weight/total pieces
- weight/pieces by destination
- product type by destination.
Items tendered in violation of the program may result in a short-term suspension of shipping privileges, or indefinite removal of access to the Food Mail Program.
13 | Delivery of Items Under the Food Mail Program | |
Canada Post provides air transportation from designated Entry Points to those communities served by this program. From that point on, it is the responsibility of the sender and/or the consignee to arrange for the delivery of the item to the addressee. See Table 11: “Entry Points and Destinations” for more information.
14 | Entry Points and Destinations | |
Table 11: Entry Points and Destinations | 
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