Canada's dynamic food landscape is supported by rigorous standards behind the scenes. The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) play a big role in ensuring food safety. We're about to bust some common myths to help businesses meet the federal food requirements and obtain their Safe Food for Canadians licence.
On this page
- CFIA fees
- Sourcing food ingredients
- Preventive control plans
- Maintenance and operation of establishments
CFIA fees
Myth: The CFIA charges high fees to all food businesses.
Facts: The fee for a food licence is $299.86 every 2 years.
Other fees, such as those for work shifts and establishment inspections, vary based on the food commodity and the size of the food business. For example, meat processors generally pay work shift fees, however, some meat products are exempt.
Refer to the CFIA fees notice for current fee amounts.
Work shift fees
- Meat products not subject to work shift fees include meat broth, animal fat, meat flavour or extract as well as certain meat product mixtures
- For more information on work shifts refer to:
Establishment inspection fees
- CFIA does not charge establishment inspection fees for:
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- manufactured foods, such as confectionary, snack foods, grain-derived foods, spices, oils, dressings and certain beverages
- Inspection fees for other foods vary by food commodity and the business size
Other services
Depending on the food commodity, CFIA may charge fees for other services, such as:
- import and export inspections
- issuing export certificates (note: there is no fee for a certificate of free sale), etc.
Learn more
Sourcing food ingredients
Myth: If I have a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence, I must always source my food ingredients from another SFC licence holder.
Facts: SFC licence holders are not always required to source ingredients from another SFC licence holder. For example, if you make carrot muffins under your SFC licence, you may source your ingredients from a local business operating under the provincial or territorial authority.
However, for certain foods made for interprovincial trade or export, the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) require specific ingredients to come from SFC licence holders. These foods include:
- meat products
- processed egg products
- fish voluntarily labelled with an inspection legend
For example, if you make breaded fish fillets for interprovincial trade and put an inspection legend on the label, only the fish must be sourced from an SFC licence holder; the ingredients that make up the breading do not require this.
Note: Most imported food ingredients must be imported under an SFC licence.
These requirements help protect food safety, animal health, and maintain access to export markets.
Regardless of where you source your food ingredients, as a licence holder you must have control measures in place to prevent, eliminate, or reduce hazards associated with incoming ingredients.
Learn more
- Regulatory requirements: Trade – SFCR 15: Interprovincial trade and export
- Inspection legends for fish
- Inspection legends for processed egg products
- Regulatory requirements: Preventive controls for food businesses
- Incoming ingredients, materials and non-food chemicals
Preventive control plans
Myth: Developing a preventive control plan (PCP) is costly, requires hiring consultants, and requires different versions for provincial and federal governments.
Facts: Under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), many food businesses are required to prepare, keep, maintain an implement a PCP. The PCP interactive tool can help you determine if your business needs a written plan.
CFIA provides guidance and free templates to help you develop your PCP. In many cases, meeting the federal PCP requirements may also satisfy provincial requirements, reducing the need to have two different versions of this information.
To develop a PCP, you will need to understand:
- your food and its production process, or your food animal and how it is slaughtered
- the rules in the SFCR that apply to your food, food animal, and activities
- what must be included in your PCP
While some businesses choose to work with a consultant, this is not required.
CFIA has created guides and templates to help food businesses develop their PCP:
Video
Guidance to help you understand the rules in the SFCR
Guidance on controls for food and establishments
Guidance for domestic food businesses
- A guide for preparing a preventive control plan – for domestic food businesses
- Preventive control plan templates for domestic food businesses
Guidance for food importers
- Importer guide: prepare your preventive control plan
- Preventive control plan templates – for importers
Guidance for food exporters
Learn more
Maintenance and operation of establishments
Interior of a facility or conveyance
Myth: As a small food business owner, I will have to make major structural upgrades to the interior of my facility to meet federal requirements.
Facts: Food businesses of all sizes can often meet federal requirements without making expensive upgrades.
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) do not set out building requirements such as ceiling height, room size, floor slope, or even particular construction materials. Instead, the regulations provide flexibility by describing the outcomes that the interior of the facility or conveyance must meet.
For example, the floors in a facility are not required to have a specific slope. However, in areas where liquid can accumulate, the floors must allow for proper drainage. This may be achieved by, but is not limited to:
- having sloped floors to let liquids drain to trapped outlets
- placing a sufficient number of floor drains in appropriate locations to maximize drainage.
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Driveways, roadways, parking lots
Myth: The driveway, roadway and parking lot of my establishment must be paved.
Facts: As an operator, you are not required to pave your driveways, roadway or parking lots.
What is required: You must eliminate the risk of food contamination from areas or objects near the establishment.
For example, you can eliminate the risk of contamination of a food from dust or water on driveways, roadways and/or parking lots by grading, compacting, dust proofing, and/or draining these areas.
Learn more
Office for CFIA inspector
Myth: I have to do expensive renovations to provide a CFIA inspector with an office in my establishment.
Facts: Most establishments do not need to have an office for a CFIA inspector.
As an operator, you are only required to provide a CFIA inspector with an office if your establishment:
- manufactures, prepares, stores, packages or labels meat products
- manufactures, prepares, stores, packages or labels processed egg products
- slaughters food animals
Exceptions: establishments that manufacture, prepare, store, package, or label meat broth, animal fat, meat flavour, meat extract or certain meat product mixtures, or slaughter game animals are not required to provide an office.
When required, the office must be:
- furnished
- readily accessible
- appropriately equipped; and
- appropriate in size
The CFIA inspector must also be provided with:
- lockers and cabinets for equipment and documents
- access to a lockable storage facility or equipment to protect, preserve and store samples
CFIA inspectors working in these establishments require these facilities due to their unique duties or daily presence.
Note: The office provided to CFIA inspectors in slaughterhouses must be private, meaning that it is exclusively for the inspector's use. This is required because of the inspector's unique responsibilities and daily presence at these establishments.
Learn more
- Regulatory requirements: Preventive controls – SFCR 49, 69(1)
- Understanding the meat product exceptions under section 25 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
Hand cleaning and sanitizing stations
Myth: I need to have automated hand cleaning and sanitizing stations in the establishment.
Facts: The hand cleaning and sanitizing stations in the establishment do not need to be automated.
What is required: As an operator, you must make sure hand cleaning and sanitizing stations are present when needed to prevent contamination of the food. However, they do not need to be automated.
Hand cleaning and sanitizing stations in an establishment must:
- permit the effective cleaning of hands
- be appropriately equipped
- be adequate in number and size for the number of people using them
- be located so that they are readily accessible to the people using them
- be capable of withstanding repeated cleaning and, if necessary, repeated sanitizing
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Lavatory, shower and change room for CFIA inspector in slaughterhouse
Myth: I have to do expensive renovations at my slaughterhouse to provide a CFIA inspector with a private bathroom, a private shower and a private change room.
Facts: As an operator, you are required to provide a CFIA inspector working in a slaughterhouse with access to a lavatory, a shower and a change room; however, these facilities are not required to be for the exclusive use of the inspector. CFIA staff can use the same facilities as the establishment's employees.
Exception: The requirement for a CFIA inspector to be provided with access to a lavatory, a shower and a change room does not apply to establishments where game animals are slaughtered.
Learn more
For more information you can:
- Visit Making or trading food in Canada
- Contact the CFIA online