Food Safety Compliance: Canada 2026

Chapter 1: Regulatory Framework and Authorities

1-1. Overview of Canada's Food Safety System

Canada's food safety system operates under a shared jurisdiction between the federal government and the provincial and territorial governments. The federal government is responsible for food safety matters that cross provincial or international borders, while the provinces and territories regulate food safety matters that are entirely within their borders.

At the federal level, two principal organizations oversee food safety:

Health Canada is the federal department responsible for establishing the policies, standards, and regulations governing food safety, nutrition, and food labeling. Health Canada sets the standards for food additives, contaminants, maximum residue limits for pesticides and veterinary drugs, novel foods, and allergen management. Health Canada does not directly inspect food businesses; instead, it establishes the scientific and policy framework within which food safety regulation operates.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the food safety standards established by Health Canada and the requirements of the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations. The CFIA is responsible for food inspection, licensing of food businesses, compliance verification, and enforcement actions including recalls, license suspensions, and prosecutions. The CFIA also regulates food imports and exports, issues export certificates, and administers the food traceability system.

1-2. The Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA)

The Safe Food for Canadians Act (S.C. 2012, c. 24), which came into force on January 15, 2019, is the principal federal food safety statute. The SFCA replaced and consolidated several previous statutes, including the Canada Agricultural Products Act, the Fish Inspection Act, the Meat Inspection Act, and the food provisions of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.

The SFCA establishes the following key requirements:

• Prohibition on unsafe food: It is prohibited to manufacture, prepare, store, package, or label food under unsanitary conditions (section 6), to sell food that is unsafe (section 4), or to engage in misleading or deceptive practices in relation to food (section 5).
• Licensing: Persons who import food, export food, or engage in interprovincial trade in food must hold a license issued by the CFIA (section 20).
• Preventive controls: Licensed food businesses must have a Preventive Control Plan (PCP) that identifies and controls hazards in their food handling operations (implemented through the SFCR).
• Traceability: Food businesses must maintain traceability records enabling the identification of the immediate supplier and the immediate customer for each food product (implemented through the SFCR).
• Recall powers: The Minister has the authority to order the recall of food products that pose a risk to human health (section 19).

1-3. The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)

The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SOR/2019-108) provide the detailed requirements for implementing the SFCA. The SFCR came into force on January 15, 2019, with phased implementation timelines for different requirements and different sizes of businesses.

The SFCR is organized into several parts covering:

• Part 1 -- Interpretation: Definitions and scope
• Part 3 -- Licensing: Requirements for obtaining and maintaining a CFIA license
• Part 4 -- Preventive Control Plans: Requirements for PCPs, including hazard analysis, preventive controls, monitoring, corrective actions, and verification
• Part 5 -- Traceability: Requirements for traceability records
• Part 6 -- Importing: Requirements for food importers
• Part 7 -- Exporting: Requirements for food exporters
• Part 11 -- Commodity-specific requirements: Additional requirements for specific food commodities including dairy, eggs, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, honey, maple, meat, and processed egg and processed fruit and vegetable products

1-4. Provincial and Territorial Regulation

Each province and territory has its own food safety legislation governing food businesses that operate entirely within the province or territory and do not engage in interprovincial trade, import, or export. These provincial and territorial requirements typically govern:

• Food premises standards (construction, layout, equipment, sanitation)
• Food handler training and qualifications
• Inspection of retail food establishments and food service businesses
• Public health requirements for restaurants, cafes, and other food service operations
• Farmers' market regulations

Provincial and territorial food safety legislation includes, for example:

Food businesses that operate across provincial borders or that import or export food are subject to both federal (SFCA/SFCR) and provincial/territorial requirements. In practice, compliance with federal requirements generally encompasses and exceeds provincial requirements, but food businesses should verify the specific requirements of each province or territory in which they operate.

1-5. Key Government Resources

The CFIA provides extensive guidance materials to assist food businesses in understanding and complying with the SFCA and SFCR. Key resources include:

• My CFIA portal (inspection.canada.ca/mycfia): The online portal for food business licensing, including license applications, amendments, and renewals
• SFCR Toolkit (inspection.canada.ca): A comprehensive set of guidance documents explaining each element of the SFCR in plain language
• Preventive Control Plan templates: Templates and examples provided by the CFIA to assist food businesses in developing their PCPs
• The Canadian Food Inspection System Implementation Group (CFISIG): Provides guidance on the intersection of federal and provincial/territorial food safety requirements

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Quick Decision Matrix

Find your compliance priority in 5 seconds.

5-second answer: Every food business needs a HACCP plan, temperature records, and allergen controls. If you don't have all three, start with Chapter 2.