Licensing of food companies

On January 15, 2019, the Canada Food Safety Act (CFSA) and the Canada Food Safety Regulations (CFR) will come into force. In order to share important information, better control food safety and enforce legislative measures, the CFIA will issue licences to food companies.

Which food companies should apply for a licence?

As mentioned on the CFIA website, 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).

Note that not all types of food require a licence. You can check if your company will need a licence through Licensing interactive tool. You can also find out the timeline for obtaining a licence.

To find out how to apply for a licence, you can visit the CFIA website.