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.
While many things can make a food safety expert twitch, one thing that will do it every time is saying the word “buffet”. The additional food safety hazards that accompany buffet service are well worth paying attention to. Nobody wants to make guests sick, and disease-causing bacteria have a habit of multiplying exponentially at room temperature once they take root in food.
Food safety regulations in Canada are generally made and enforced at the provincial and, in some cases, municipal levels.
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are government agencies which play separate roles when it comes to restaurants, specifically policy creation and consumer protection.