New changes as Travelers and Cross Border shoppers allowed to bring more retail grocery products from US to Canada

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - New changes for cross border shoppers and travelers, as some retail packaged poultry products can now be imported from the US into Canada. News Source 8′s Isaac Potter caught up with a local grocery store to see how it impacts both the stores and shoppers.

Travelers and Cross border shoppers are now allowed to bring more retail grocery products from the US into Canada. As of March 15th, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is allowing retail packaged poultry products for human consumption that are labeled as a “Product of the USA” for import in any U.S. state, regardless of outbreak status. Denis Paradis, the Owner of Paradis Shop N’ Save in Fort Kent, says this news was great for the company.

Denis Paradis: “A great day for our business, opening up increased the amount of volume of Canadian shoppers coming in so it’s always good for business right? It will increase traffic, I am already seeing a lot more customers coming into the store. Chicken, poultry, eggs, that’s a very expensive thing in Canada.”

Some of the products now included are raw table eggs, rotisserie chickens, deli meat, and frozen whole turkeys. Cooked kibble or canned pet food with avian ingredients can be imported as well as long as the pet accompanies the traveler. Paradis says this change is good for both people and grocery stores around Aroostook County.

Denis Paradis: “It’s good for the businesses, the grocery stores for this side for this example. And it’s good for the people on the border or across, so it helps both sides of the border. We have increased customer accounts in both places at Madawaska and Fort Kent so it’s been good. We have been seeing an increase of customer accounts in the store.”

The decreased number of COVID cases has allowed the border to ease restrictions and allow more people to travel and cross the border to shop. To learn more about these new changes for travellers and cross border shoppers, visit www.inspection.canada.ca. Isaac Potter News Source 8.

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