If you run a Canadian restaurant or other foodservice business, complying with the federal Food Retail and Food Services Code (FRFSC) can help you get most of the way to being in compliance with your local food safety regulations.
But it is more helpful to know what the actual requirements and regulations are in your area, since the FRFSC is only a policy guidance document that various provincial and municipal bodies use to form their own food safety and public health regulations.
You will often have to comply with both provincial and local food safety regulations. In the City of Toronto, for example, this means being in compliance with the Ontario Food Premises Regulation and Toronto’s Municipal Code 545-Licensing.
The first step to getting to know your local food safety regulations and inspection regimen is to pick up the phone and contact the organization responsible for sending out food safety/public health inspectors. Talk to administrative staff or, ideally, an inspector about the regulations you need to comply with, what they usually look for on an inspection, and so on. This will help you get comfortable with the process and be proactive.
You should also ask about any food safety training or licenses that are required by the organization - then make sure you have all of them. You may want to repeat this process annually as regulations can change at the local and provincial levels, and you may not always receive notifications about the changes.
Provinces
The following provinces deploy food inspectors at the provincial rather than the municipal level. Some are managed through regional offices which are outlined on the sites below.
● Manitoba
● Alberta
Major Canadian Cities
● Toronto
● Montreal
● Ottawa
If you are in a city other than the above in Quebec, Ontario or British Columbia, search for your city and “food safety inspection” on the Web to find your local public health/food safety inspectors.
If you require food safety training for food handlers and other staff in your business, contact FoodSafetyMarket. We run both in-class and online training which is compliant with all major Canadian food safety training regulations, both at the provincial and municipal levels, in English and French. For more information about the online and in-class food safety training offered by the experts at Food Safety Market, visit the enroll page here.