Country Content Sections/Tabs

Country Content Sections/Tabs

Policy Information

Policy Information

Government Agency(s) / Competent Authority

Authorized Government Agency(s):

The Ministry of Public Health’s Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety (INHA) is responsible for regulating imports of consumer-ready foods.

The Ministry of Agriculture regulates imports of animals and animal products, as well as imports of plants and plant products.

The Ministry’s Institute of Veterinary Medicine (IMV) covers live animals and animal product imports.  The Ministry's National Center for Plant Health (CNSV) covers mports of live plants and plant products.

Agency(s) Contact Information:

Ministry of Public Health
Instituto de Nutrición e Higiene de los Alimentos (Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety) Ministerio de Salud Pública (Ministry of Public Health) Infanta No. 1158 entre Llinás y Clavel Centro Habana 
Ciudad de la Habana, Cuba CP 10300
Phone: 011 (537) 878-1429, 878-5919, 870-5531 to 34
Fax: 011 (537) 833-8313
E-mail: dirinha@infomed.sld.cu & dsi@sinha.sld.cu
Web

Ministry of Agriculture
Conill esq. Ave. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Plaza de la Revolución
Contact: webmaster@min.eicma.cu
Web

Imported Products

The government-operated Empresa Comercializadora de Alimentos (ALIMPORT) is the sole buying agency for US agricultural products. ALIMPORT negotiates for client Cuban entities and handles all purchasing, documentation and logistics. 

USDA export certificates are required for bulk grain and meat products, particularly for fresh, frozen, and canned meats. Enforcement is carried out mostly at the port of entry, where scrutiny can be intense and at the importer warehouse level. Enforcement at the retail level is minimal.

Additional Information

In March 2016, United States Department of Agriculture and the Republic of Cuba Ministry of Agriculture signed a memorandum of understanding. Organic production and certification processes are among the potential priorities for cooperation between the two agencies. 

The United States maintains a trade embargo with Cuba. However, agricultural commodities are exempt provided that export transactions meet certain legal criteria. USDA's Foreign Agriculture Service maintains a list of US agricultural products eligible for export to Cuba.

USDA's Report on Cuba's Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (2015)

Definitions

Definitions

Term

Definition

Health and Wellness

Health and wellness is the aggregation of organic packaged food and beverages, fortified/functional packaged food and beverages, naturally healthy packaged food and beverages, better for you packaged food and beverages and food intolerance products.

Organic packaged foods and beverages

This category includes packaged food & beverages that are certified organic by an approved certification body. Organic production is based on:

• A system of farming that maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers.
• Organic food & beverages are minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation.
• The use of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organism) is prohibited. “Certified Organic” means the item has been grown according to strict uniform standards that are verified by independent state or private organizations.
• Depending on the country, such products are called ‘organic’, ‘biological’ or ‘ecological’: For organic products to be included under Euromonitor definitions, the organic aspect needs to form part of positioning/marketing of the product. This is an aggregation of organic baby food, bakery, confectionery, dairy, ice cream, oils and fats, ready meals, rice, sauces, dressings and condiments, snack bars, soups, spreads, sweet and savory snacks and other organic food.

Note that fresh food products or individual ingredients are not included in this definition.

Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is the average annual growth rate over a specified period of time. For instance, the CAGR consumption of from 2018 – 2021 will be the average growth rates across these three years.

USDA GATS data clarification

The data presented in table 2.4 represents the dollar values of the top 5 organic commodities as well as of the total organic exports of the trade partner for the period 2018-2021 as per the United States Department of Agriculture’s Global Agricultural Trade System, a database consisting of international agricultural, fish, forest and textile products trade statistics dating from the inception of the Harmonized coding system in 1989 to present.

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How to use this website

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) brings the US organic industry to developing markets around the world. This database is a comprehensive tool for OTA membership interested in participating in or expanding international trade in organic products by providing information to understand international markets for organic products. Select the country you wish to export to and find out whether it has an agreement with the United States, who its certifiers are, and much more.

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