As of January 15, 2019, food businesses may need a licence to import, export or send food across provincial and territorial borders. They may also need a preventive control plan and traceability records.
The Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) establishes a modern and robust legislative framework for the safety of food commodities sold to Canadians and provides a food safety system in Canada.
The SFCA brings with it a new licensing regime with related costs along with the repeal of the old food statutes into one regulation. The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) will be in implemented on January 15, 2019.
Under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), food businesses will need a licence based on the activities that you conduct. This will be a mandatory requirement. The cost of a licence is $250.00 CAD and be valid for two years.
Food businesses that conduct any of the following activities are required to obtain a licence:
- Import food
- Manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package, or label food to be exported or sent across provincial or territorial borders
- Export food that requires an export certificate – even if not preparing the food
- Slaughter food animals from which meat products are derived for export or to be sent across provincial or territorial borders
- Store and handle a meat product in its imported condition for inspection by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Find out what requirements will apply to your business when the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations come into force on January 15, 2019. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has interactive tools and timelines to help you.
Sign up for My CFIA now so you can apply for the licence when it becomes available.
Learn more about the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
Visit Livingston’s dedicated web page on CFIA Food Inspection Modernization.