Food Laws:
This report was prepared by the Caribbean Basin Agricultural Trade Office (CBATO) of the USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service in Miami, Florida, for U.S. exporters of domestic food and agricultural products. While every possible care was taken in preparation of this report, information provided may not be completely accurate, either because policies have changed since its preparation or because clear and consistent information about these policies was not available. It is highly recommended that U.S. exporters verify the full set of import requirements with their foreign customers who are normally best equipped to research such matters with local authorities before any goods are shipped. FINAL IMPORT APPROVAL OF ANY PRODUCT IS SUBJECT TO THE IMPORTING COUNTRY’S RULES AND REGULATIONS AS INTERPRETED BY BORDER OFFICIALS AT THE TIME OF THE PRODUCT ENTRY.
The Department of Environmental Health is the main regulatory agency dealing with food products, particularly processed food products. The main legislation governing food products is the Public Health Law (2002 revision). The Department of Agriculture is the principal agency responsible for regulating plant and plant products, live animals, meat, fish and seafood.
The Department of Agriculture enforces the Plant Importation and Exportation Law of 1983 and the Animals Law (2011 revision). Although the latter allows for regulation of dairy products and eggs, the Department of Agriculture does not in practice regulate these products. Inspection of imported products is conducted mostly at the port of entry by both departments. However, inspection can also take place at the retail and wholesale levels.
In general, the Cayman Islands regulatory environment is quite import-friendly, particularly to the United States. Given its proximity to South Florida, the U.S. gateway to the Caribbean, the Cayman Islands source approximately 90 percent of their imports from the United States. Consequently, Cayman regulatory agencies have considerable trust in their counterpart U.S. regulatory agencies. The general view is that if products are safe for consumption in the United States, they are also safe for consumption in the Cayman Islands.
