Education
Learn best practices for dispute prevention.
Mediation
Resolve disputes through our informal mediation process.
Arbitration
Learn step-by-step how to proceed with a claim.
The Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC) is a non-profit, member-based organization whose core work is business-to-business private commercial dispute resolution. In other words, the DRC is a referee between parties when the purchase and sale do not go according to plan.
Our members are recognized as preferred buyers and vendors, resulting in improved business networking! You’ll also receive
- Access to our expansive member directory and up to date information on current and potential trading partners
- Greater commercial assurance
- One-on-one professional and confidential consultation
Visit our Membership page for additional benefits. All services are provided in English, French and Spanish
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations came into force January 15, 2019.
In The News
A special message from Glenn Baty, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the DRC
Reference to “interesting times” has likely never been more relevant than today. We are living in unprecedented times of a global nature and of the sort we have only read about in history. It is appropriate and important that I add to my annual report and acknowledge the recent events that have moved world into …
DRC Reveals New Logo
During his speaking notes at CHC Banquet Reception on March 11, 2020 Fred Webber, president of the Dispute Resolution Corporation (DRC), revealed new company logo. “It is extremely fitting we kick this off with you, as CHC was instrumental in bringing the DRC into being, including lending my predecessor, Stephen Whitney, to the effort. As …
SFCR – Licensing and Traceability
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) is currently in force with licensing and traceability requirements in effect for many businesses in the fresh fruits or vegetables (FFV) sector. On January 15, 2020, the preventive control and preventive control plan requirements will come into force for FFV businesses that hold a Safe Food for Canadians …
Blog Updates
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Whether there was a material breach of the contract and did the Respondent suffer damages
Continuing with our series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe this will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules and Regulations (R&R) apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute R&R state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of all parties, including …
Temperature Recorder Readout or Reefer Unit Download?
We are often asked “Which is a better indicator of transit temperatures, a reefer unit download or a temperature recorder readout?” The best answer is that it depends on many variables, including at shipping point, during transit and at arrival surrounding this temperature equipment. While this answer may not be satisfactory, when these two …
Changes coming to the Harmonized System codes in AIRS
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is working to update its systems to reflect the soon to be updated Harmonized System (HS) code structure coming into effect January 1st, 2022 as a result of recent changes announced by the World Customs Organization. These codes are used at the CFIA as part of the Automated Import Reference …
Membership Updates for December 15, 2021
Welcome New Members From November 15 until December 15, 2021 DRC welcomed the following new members: ABOKADOS (También haciendo negocios como Afrigur del Occidente S.P.R. de R.L.de C.V.) Michoacan MexicoALLIED NATIONAL IMPORT AND EXPORT LTD. ON CanadaBEDFORD BASIN FARMERS MARKET LTD. NS CanadaBIOFRUITS (Faisant également affaire sous 9386-4536 Québec Inc.) QC CanadaBON COIN INC. QC …
Maximize the value of your DRC membership!
DRC members are often recognized as preferred trading partners within the produce industry. Member buyers and vendors appreciate the value of their membership for DRC’s Trading Standards, Transportation Standards, Good Arrival Guidelines and access to one-on-one professional and confidential consultation and trading assistance. For Canadians, a DRC membership fulfills a regulatory requirement for those subject …
DRC VIRTUAL/REMOTE HEARINGS
The Covid-19 pandemic has revolutionized and augmented the number of virtual/remote hearings through the courts and various alternative dispute resolution institutions around the world. Currently, most, if not all, arbitration institutions provide virtual/remote hearing services either on their own or by outsourcing the service to a recognized virtual hearing service provider. DRC’s Dispute Resolution Rules …
CFIA Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Grade Standards Public Consultation
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has launched a public consultation on proposed changes to fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) grade standards. The consultation will be carried out in five phases, each focusing on a specific group of FFV commodities. Phase 1 proposes changes to grades and requirements for greenhouse cucumbers and greenhouse tomatoes, including …
Membership Updates for November 15, 2021
Welcome New Members From October 15 until November 15, 2021 DRC welcomed the following new members: 13022757 CANADA INC. ON Canada2369820 ALBERTA LTD. AB CanadaA.M.R. CASH-AND-CARRY INC. / A.M.R. PAYEZ-EMPORTEZ INC. QC CanadaDELTA FRESH SALES LLC (Also d/b/a Delta Fresh) AZ United StatesEXOTICA FRUITS & VEGETABLES (A d/b/a of 9329-1680 Quebec Inc.) QC CanadaIMPORT EXPORT …
Membership Updates for October 15, 2021
Welcome New Members From September 15 until October 15, 2021 DRC welcomed the following new members: 13383831 CANADA INC. ON Canada CONAGRA BRANDS CANADA INC. ON Canada DELTA FRESH SALES LLC (Also d/b/a Delta Fresh) AZ United States HIEP HOA ASIAN FOOD MARKET (A d/b/a of 2247538 Alberta Ltd.) AB Canada HOLA PRODUCE INC. BC …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Disagreement between the parties on the price and credits applied on each transaction.
Continuing with our series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe this will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules and Regulations (R&R) apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute R&R state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of all parties, including …
Offsetting Freight Payments
A couple of years ago we published an article titled “Holding Back Unrelated Invoices”, which described a scenario where a buyer deducted their losses from a seller’s unrelated undisputed transaction. That article focused on a produce transaction between a shipper and a receiver. In this article we will focus on a transportation scenario based on …
Import requirements for Romaine lettuce imported from the United States
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced their temporary import requirements for romaine lettuce imported from the United States. The following information is part of the CFIA news release which may be found at: https://www.canada.ca/en/food-inspection-agency/news/2021/09/temporary-import-requirement-for-2021-lettuce-growing-season-some-romaine-from-parts-of-california-must-be-tested-forecoli.html To protect Canadians from possible health risks, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is implementing temporary import conditions for romaine …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Whether the Inspection Certificate showed the correct product identity
This continues with our series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe these articles will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules and Regulations (R&R) apply in the event of a dispute. The DRC dispute R&R state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of …
DRC Participating at Fruit Attraction
Representatives from DRC will be at Fruit Attraction in Madrid, Spain on October 5-7. This will be DRC’s third visit to Fruit Attraction. With members located in 17 countries1, DRC is gaining increasing recognition as a global solutions provider when it comes to private, commercial business-to-business dispute resolution and trading assistance for produce entering the …
Membership Updates for September 15, 2021
Welcome New Members From August 15 until September 15, 2021 DRC welcomed the following new members 2777501 ONTARIO INC. ON Canada CANCAREX FOODS LIMITED ON Canada FUYU FRESH TRADE (Also d/b/a 2661555 Ontario Inc.) ON Canada HOLA PRODUCE INC. BC Canada IGLOO COLD STORAGE INC. ON Canada LONGFE INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED ON …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Disagreement between the parties on the Terms of Sale and Private Survey
Continuing with our series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe this will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules and Regulations (R&R) apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute R&R state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of all parties, including …
NOTICE OF DISPUTE: INSTRUCTION GUIDE
To initiate a formal claim through DRC’s Dispute Resolution Process, members must submit a Notice of Dispute (NOD). A NOD is your opportunity to explain: Who you are; who you are claiming against? What happened that led to the dispute? What remedy you are seeking? Keep in mind that to present a successful NOD, DRC’s …
Kevin Smith – Reflections on the first five months
I am pleased to have been selected as the new Vice-President of Operations for the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation. I have big shoes to fill moving into the position as Fred Webber takes his retirement and Luc Mougeot becomes President and CEO. The warm welcomes received so far are much appreciated! Prior to …
Membership Updates for August 18, 2021
Welcome New Members From July 15 until August 18, 2021 DRC welcomed the following new members: 2777501 ONTARIO INC. ON Canada 51NORTH FRESH INC. ON Canada 58690 MANITOBA LTD. (Also d/b/a A.M. Foodfare #18) MB Canada 9964894 CANADA INC. QC Canada BBN TRANSPORT LTD. AB Canada BRAGA FRESH FAMILY FARMS, INC. CA United States COLIMAN …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Disagreement between the parties on the terms of sale and price adjustment.
Continuing with our series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe this will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules and Standards (R&S) apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute R&S state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of all parties, including …
2021 Board of Directors Annual General Meeting
The DRC’s Board of Directors and Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held virtually from June 2-4 2021. DRC staff reported on the audited financial statements and key DRC priorities including Membership, Marketing, and Trading Assistance. The Board also received updates from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Destination Inspection Services, implementation of the Safe Food …
Counterclaim and Counterclaim with Setoff
DRC’s Dispute Resolution Rules define a counterclaim and a counterclaim with setoff as follow: “Counterclaim” means a claim by a Respondent arising out of the transaction or occurrence that is the subject matter of the Claim and that is in excess of the amount being claimed by the claimant. Subject to Article 4, a Counterclaim …
Modernizing Canada’s Grades and Requirements for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
The DRC initiative to review and modernize the (CFIA) Canadian Grade Compendium: Volume 2 – Fresh Fruit or Vegetable Grades and Requirements continues to progress well. A review of 17 of the 30 standards has been completed by industry-named representatives. The mandate of the commodity-specific review teams is to bring commodity-specific knowledge to the table …
Membership Updates for July 15, 2021
Welcome New Members From June 15 to July 15, 2021 DRC welcomed the following new members: COMERCIAL GREENVIC S.A. Region Metropolitana Chile C.I.B. (2013) NUTS & DRIED FRUITS TRADING INC. QC Canada MAEN CANADA INC. ON Canada CANADA FARM SUPERMARKET LTD. BC Canada STELLAR IMPEX INC. QC Canada CGF INTERNATIONAL (Faisant également affaire sous Fritzner …
Properly Documenting Discarded Produce
The words “Dump Certificate” have to be in the top ten phrases which lead to a DRC consultation. The goal of this article is to differentiate between documenting disposal and establishing that a product has no commercial value. Misunderstanding the difference can cost you plenty. There are three main events which lead to a need …
Food Safety & Transportation
In July 2017 we wrote an article titled: “Transportation: Rejection Due to Food Safety Concerns”. That article focused on one specific example; a strange odor was noticed when the truck’s doors were opened to unload the product. Our suggestion was to call for a government inspection as soon as the foul odor is noticed when …
Accounts Receivable (AR) Insurance and DRC
Following a recent Canadian Produce Marketing Association webinar on AR insurance, coupled with increasing questions from members, DRC partnered with David Lousky (a trade credit insurance broker) to address some unanswered questions and provide you with some guidance. You can find the guidance in the form of a Q&A in the education section of the …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Private surveys and failing to comply with a settlement agreement
Continuing with our series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe this will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules and Standards (R&S) apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute R&S state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of all parties, including …
Membership Updates for June 15, 2021
Welcome New Members From May 18 until June 15, 2021, DRC welcomed the following new members: 1.2.3. SANTÉ / 1.2.3. SANTÉ! (A d/b/a of 123 Santé – J’aime mon équilibre! inc.) QC Canada 12733137 CANADA INC. QC Canada AGRICOLA SAN GALLAN S.A.C. Lima Peru BIG P POTATOES (A d/b/a of 1082775 Ontario Limited) ON Canada …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Timely and proper notice of inspection and temperature recorder recovery
Continuing with our series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe this will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules and Regulations (R&R) apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute R&R state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of all parties, including …
NORTH AMERICA TERMS or INCOTERMS®?
Our Trading Assistance Staff continue to see cases where North American buyers who import fresh produce from offshore growers or sellers, struggle understanding their responsibilities under the perceived “agreed” INCOTERMS®. North American buyers and sellers of fresh fruits and vegetables have adopted two main trade terms for their transactions within North America, FOB and DELIVERED …
DRC TRANSPORTATION STANDARDS
It is well known that transportation and related matters are complex and become even more so when the cargo is fresh fruits and vegetables. Even before factoring in cargo that is highly perishable and for human consumption, these complexities range from domestic Hours of Service regulations for transport drivers to a ship captain’s right to …
Membership Updates for May 17, 2021
Welcome New Members From April 15 until May 17, 2021, DRC welcomed the following new members: A1 IMPORTS INC. QC Canada AGROINDUSTRIAL SAN GERMAN SPA (También haciendo negocios como San German SPA) Elqui Chile ALIMSUR INC. QC Canada ANYE PRODUCE INC. CA United States BENITO PRODUCE CORP. ON Canada BOUCHERIE EL IHCÈNE QC Canada CITRUS …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF: Whether the Respondent failed to provide in a timely manner a copy of the inspection certificate to the Claimant.
This is the third in a series of articles summarizing past DRC arbitration decisions. We believe this will help members to better understand how the DRC Dispute Rules (R&R) and Regulations apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute R&R state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. As such, the names of …
New and Potential DRC Members
Over the last few months DRC has experienced a surge of new members. This is positive and demonstrates that, even during these challenging times, the entrepreneurial spirit remains strong. We are receiving all types of applications, which include applicants with little experience in the produce industry or lack of knowledge of rules and regulations that …
DRC TRANSPORTATION STANDARDS I
Just as the DRC Trading Standards set out the rights and responsibilities of buyers, brokers and sellers of fresh produce, the DRC Transportation Standards set out the fresh produce specific rights and responsibilities of trucks, transportation intermediaries, shippers, and receivers. For some time, the DRC Transportation Standards have been viewed as more of a “suggestion” …
Membership Updates for April 15, 2021
Welcome New Members From March 15 until April 15, 2021, DRC welcomed the following new members: 12618109 CANADA INC. AB Canada BDF INTERNATIONAL LTD. BC Canada CITY PRODUCE ON Canada CSM FRESH IMPORTS INC. (Also d/b/a CSM Fresh) ON Canada DALEY FARM FRESH PRODUCE INC. (Also d/b/a Daley’s Trucking) ON Canada EPSILON-IT EPSILON-INTEGRA-TRADE LTD. (Also …
Non-member access to member portal
Did you know that while most of the information posted on DRC Member Portal is reserved for members only, you don’t have to be a member to use some of the features the portal has to offer? To start you’ll need to go to Member Login section and register a new account. Once logged in, …
Do you need a Safe Food for Canadians licence or DRC membership to export produce from Canada?
Let’s start with the easy part, a DRC membership. According to the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), Canadian exporters are required to have a DRC membership unless excepted, mainly because you ship produce you have grown yourself or are shipping less than one metric ton a day. There are a couple of other exceptions, but there …
COVID 19 and Payment Terms
There is little question COVID-19 has stressed and complicated business models. Some people are really hurting and there is no way around it. If you are one of those folks, I encourage you to have a conversation with your suppliers now! We are seeing many relationships coming to amicable terms when timely conversation has taken …
ARBITRATION DECISION BRIEF:Whether the Inspection Certificates show that the fruit failed to meet contract terms.
Commencing this year, we will publish a summary series of arbitration decisions which will help members better understand how DRC Rules and Regulations apply in the event of a dispute. DRC Dispute Resolution Rules state that all DRC arbitrations are private and confidential. We have omitted the names of people, including arbitrators, as well as …
Membership Updates for March 15, 2021
Welcome New MembersFrom January 1 until February 15, 2021, DRC welcomed the following new members:AM PRODUCE INC. ON CanadaCHADI IMPORT-EXPORT INC. (Faisant également affaire sous Cha QC CanadaCHAROEN POKPHAND FOODS CANADA INC. (Also d/b/a CPF Canada) ON CanadaCOUFFIN BIO CDN INC. QC CanadaEXCEPTIONAL FUTURE LLC. (Also d/b/a Exceptional Future) CA United StatesGIRAFFE FOODS INC. (Also …
Modernizing Canada’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grade Standards
DRC’s initiative to modernize Canada’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Grade Standards is progressing well. For context, the CFIA Canadian Grade Compendium Volume 2 – Fresh Fruits or Vegetables https://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-cfia/acts-and-regulations/list-of-acts-and-regulations/documents-incorporated-by-reference/canadian-grade-compendium-volume-2/eng/1519996239002/1519996303947 is the lexicon, or recognized language, for describing fruit and vegetable commodities and associated defects. This common lexicon is necessary in order for federal inspectors, private …
