Safe Food for Canadians licence requirements and costs guide
A Safe Food for Canadians licence covers imports and specified food activities. Check who needs one, how to apply, the C$307.96 fee and renewal rules.
Safe Food for Canadians licence requirements and costs
A Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence is generally required to import food or carry out specified preparation activities for interprovincial trade or export. Slaughtering food animals for those markets also requires licensing, but trading across provinces alone does not. CFIA's activity guidance explains the distinction.
Apply through My CFIA. As of November 6, 2026, the published issuance or renewal fee is C$307.96 per licence, with two-year validity. Before applying, match your activities and commodities to the licence requirements. The business label, such as distributor or retailer, does not settle the question. See CFIA's application guidance and the CFIA Fees Notice.
Who needs an SFC licence?
Start with what your business does and where the food will go. CFIA distinguishes preparing food from moving, storing or selling it. This matters when a distributor also repacks or relabels products. Those preparation activities can require licensing even when distribution alone does not. Check the activity rules.
| Activity | General SFC licensing position |
|---|---|
| Importing food, including ingredients for further preparation | Licence required, subject to exceptions |
| Manufacturing, processing, treating, preserving, grading, packaging or labelling food for another province or export | Licence generally required |
| Slaughtering food animals for interprovincial trade or export | Licence required |
| Storing and handling imported edible meat for CFIA inspection | Specific licensable activity |
| Trading or distributing food between provinces without preparing it | No licence solely for that activity |
| Transport, ordinary storage or customs brokerage | No licence solely for that activity |
| Exporting without preparing food | Licence required when seeking a CFIA export certificate or another export permission |
The table follows CFIA's food business activity guidance. An interprovincial trader must still ensure that food was prepared by a licensed business where required. Ordinary storage includes refrigeration or freezing to maintain food's condition. It differs from storing imported edible meat for inspection.
Preparing or trading food solely for sale and consumption within one province or territory generally does not trigger this federal licence. Other SFCR obligations and provincial requirements can still apply. Do not treat an SFC licence as a replacement for provincial or local permissions. CFIA explains the federal scope.
Check licence exceptions against the actual activity
Retail and farm operations need the same activity check. Preparing food for direct consumer sale differs from preparing it for retail stores in another province. Growing or harvesting produce alone does not require licensing, but processing, treatments and packaging can change the answer. CFIA's guidance sets out these distinctions.
Import exceptions also have limits. CFIA identifies exceptions for food additives, specified alcoholic beverages and qualifying unprocessed Schedule 1 commodities for further preparation. The Schedule 1 exception requires the qualifying intended use, "For Further Preparation Only" identification and non-consumer-prepackaged status. Check the specific exception before relying on it. An import-licensing exception does not establish exemption from other food or liquor rules.
How to apply through My CFIA
Use CFIA's application guidance to prepare the business information before opening the service request. The process includes a pre-issuance review, so submitting the form does not mean immediate approval.
- Create a My CFIA account and business profile. Use that profile for the licence application.
- Decide whether to apply for one licence or several. Consider the activities, commodities and establishments involved. CFIA recommends an approach with one licence covering activities and commodities at one establishment. That is not a universal legal requirement.
- Open a Service Request. Enter the activities, commodities or sub-commodities, and establishment details where applicable. CFIA says establishment information is not required for import or export activities.
- Complete the Food Safety Supplemental Information questionnaire for each establishment. Complete the application attestations, including those about compliance and a written preventive control plan if required.
- Take part in CFIA's pre-issuance review. Its guidance says applicants will be contacted for an interview or inspection, using a risk-based approach.
- After issuance, use the email notification to access the licence in My CFIA.
These steps follow CFIA's published application sequence. Select the activities your business will actually perform, including packaging or labelling where relevant.
Licensing and preventive controls are separate questions. Establish whether your business needs a written preventive control plan, or PCP, before making the application attestations. A low-sales exception from a written PCP is not a general licence exemption. The application wording is "if required". See the application guidance and SFCR sections 86 and 88.
What does a Safe Food for Canadians licence cost?
The published issuance or renewal fee is C$307.96 per licence, effective March 31, 2026. The former C$299.86 fee applied only through March 30, 2026. Fees adjust annually on March 31 based on the Consumer Price Index, so check the CFIA Fees Notice before paying.
This is the licence fee, not a total compliance budget. Other inspection, certification and service fees can apply. Do not assume every establishment has the same additional charges. The Fees Notice sets out the separate services.
When and how to renew
An SFC licence expires two years after the issuance or renewal date specified on it, unless cancelled earlier. An amendment does not change that expiry date. Use the date on the licence when planning renewal. See SFCR section 33.
Renewal becomes available in My CFIA 120 days before expiry. You do not have to file exactly 120 days in advance, but CFIA must process the renewal before expiry. An expired licence is no longer valid and cannot be renewed, although the existing business profile can support a new application. CFIA's renewal advice makes early action worthwhile.
In My CFIA, select the correct validated party, open Service Request, then Issued Permissions. Select the permission number and choose Renew. If you also need activity changes, CFIA's guide advises renewing first and amending after renewal is complete. Follow the renewal and amendment instructions.
How to check the food licence registry
For a supplier check, use "Find a food licence" on the CFIA food licences hub. Search by licence number or business details. The registry describes listed businesses as licensed under the SFCR and in good standing with CFIA. A listing does not prove that every product or shipment complies.
Check the separate suspensions and cancellations page for enforcement notices. Entries can include later reinstatement or surrender updates. An old suspension notice is therefore not proof of a current suspension. Read the latest relevant notice alongside the registry result rather than relying on a saved list of company names.
Why CFIA can suspend or cancel a licence
Under SFCR section 35, suspension grounds include specified food-law non-compliance, unpaid licence-related fees or a possible risk of injury to human health. Suspension is a power, not an automatic consequence of every breach.
The ordinary process includes a written grounds report and time to correct the problem. Suspension can follow if the business fails to correct it. But a health-risk suspension can take effect immediately after receipt of the grounds report, with written notice. Not every business receives a corrective-action period first. Sections 36 to 38 also require lifting a suspension once the Minister determines corrective action has been taken. See the SFCR suspension provisions.
Cancellation grounds include continuing licensed activity while suspended and failing to correct problems within 90 days after suspension. A longer correction period may be granted on written request. Cancellation is not automatic on day 90. Other grounds include specified repeat non-compliance, relevant convictions and false or misleading application information. Notice of the grounds and an opportunity to be heard must precede cancellation. See SFCR sections 39 and 40 and SFCA section 15.
RegAffairs AI's answer on SFC licensing covers who needs a licence, application costs and enforcement.