Import & compliance
If you buy from a licensed Canadian importer, do you need your own import licence?
No. If you're buying already-imported food from a Canadian wholesale supplier — one that holds its own Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence and brings the goods across the border itself — you're a domestic customer, not an importer, and you don't need an import licence of your own. The licence obligation under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) attaches to whoever is the importer of record on the shipment, not to everyone who buys the product afterward. (inspection.canada.ca)
This is the arrangement most GTA restaurants, cafés and grocers are actually in when they source Levantine pantry goods — spices, tahini, olive oil, Aleppo soap — through a Canadian wholesale importer. See Do you need a licence to import food into Canada? for who the licence obligation does fall on.
Why buying domestically doesn't make you an importer
CFIA's import licensing requirement is built around the party that physically brings food into Canada for sale — the business named on the customs declaration as the importer of record (inspection.canada.ca/en/food-licences/importing-food). Once that business has cleared the shipment, met its preventive control and traceability obligations, and released the goods into Canadian commerce, a downstream buyer purchasing cases from its warehouse is transacting domestically — the same as buying any other Canadian-warehoused good.
That's true whether you're a three-location shawarma chain buying a mixed pallet monthly or a specialty grocer adding a handful of new lines. The origin of the product doesn't change; what changes is who is legally responsible for the import step, and that responsibility stays with the importer of record. It's the same principle that applies to any other imported category sold through a Canadian distributor — electronics, apparel, packaged goods generally — food isn't a special case in this respect, just a category with its own additional licensing regime layered on top for whoever does the importing.
What this actually simplifies for a GTA buyer
Practically, it means a restaurant or grocer sourcing this way skips SFC licensing, preventive control plan documentation, customs brokerage and border clearance entirely — those obligations sit with the importer, not with you. What's left on the buyer's side is closer to ordinary supplier vetting: checking case formats, confirming labelling and allergen information, and building a working relationship with a supplier who can quote and deliver reliably. At Levant Direct, that starts with a simple inquiry rather than a licensing process.
It's still worth doing basic diligence on any supplier — asking how they'd handle a recall and where products originate — but that's ordinary supplier due diligence, not import compliance falling on you. Keeping your own simple receiving records (supplier, date, any lot reference given) is a sensible habit regardless, since it's what lets you act quickly if a recall notice ever comes through from the supplier's side.
When this reassurance stops applying
The moment a business itself arranges for goods to be shipped from overseas and cleared through Canadian customs — even occasionally, even as a side arrangement alongside its main domestic buying — it becomes the importer of record for that shipment, and the licensing and preventive-control obligations shift onto it. Mixing the two models, buying domestically most of the time but occasionally importing directly, means understanding which shipments fall under which rules.
What does CFIA require of food importers beyond the licence? and Importing Middle Eastern Food into Canada: A Plain-Language Guide cover the direct-import side for anyone considering it alongside domestic buying. Many GTA operators start out buying entirely domestically and only look at direct import later, once volume justifies the licensing and compliance overhead — there's no requirement to move to direct import at any particular size, and plenty of established businesses never do.
Related questions
Should I ask my supplier for their SFC licence number?
It's reasonable to ask, and a licensed importer should be able to confirm they hold one. Treat it as part of ordinary supplier due diligence rather than a requirement placed on you as the buyer.
Does this change if I import occasionally myself, alongside buying domestically most of the time?
Yes — any shipment you personally bring in as importer of record falls under the licensing rules, even if most of your sourcing is domestic. See Do you need a licence to import food into Canada?
Does buying wholesale instead of retail change any of this?
No — the import licence question turns on who brings the goods across the border, not on whether the sale downstream is wholesale or retail.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is general regulatory guidance for GTA food buyers, not legal advice. Confirm your specific situation with the CFIA before making sourcing decisions.