Import & compliance
Do you need a licence to import food into Canada?
Yes — if your business is the importer of record bringing food into Canada for commercial sale, you need a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and you need it before the shipment reaches the border. CFIA does not issue licences at the port of entry, so this has to be arranged well before a container leaves origin. (inspection.canada.ca)
The obligation sits specifically with whoever is importing — not with everyone who later resells the goods. A restaurant, café or grocer that buys already-landed cases from a Canadian wholesale supplier is a domestic customer, not an importer, and generally doesn't need a licence of its own. See If you buy from a licensed Canadian importer, do you need your own import licence? for that distinction worked through in full.
Who counts as an importer under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
Under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and its regulations (SFCR), most businesses that bring food into Canada for sale — or that manufacture, process, treat, package or label food for interprovincial trade or export — need an SFC licence covering that specific activity (inspection.canada.ca/en/food-licences/importing-food). The licence attaches to the party that is the importer of record on the shipment: the business physically bringing the goods across the border commercially, and it covers that business's licensed activity going forward rather than being reissued shipment by shipment.
That's a narrower group than everyone who touches the product on its way to a shelf or kitchen. A shawarma restaurant buying cases of za'atar from a GTA distributor, a grocer stocking Aleppo soap from a wholesaler's warehouse, a café buying tahini by the pail — none of them are importing, regardless of how far the original product travelled to reach Canada. What determines the answer is the customs relationship on the shipment, not the product's country of origin, its cultural association, or how it's described on a menu or shelf tag.
What holding the licence actually commits you to
An SFC licence isn't a one-time form. Licensed importers are expected to maintain a written preventive control plan (PCP) — documentation showing how they verify that food coming from a foreign supplier is safe and produced to Canadian requirements — plus a traceability system that can track a lot one step back to its supplier and one step forward to its customer (inspection.canada.ca/en/food-safety-industry/preventive-control-plans/importers). What does CFIA require of food importers beyond the licence? walks through both requirements in more depth.
That ongoing compliance load — not just the initial application — is usually the real reason smaller operators choose to buy from an established Canadian importer rather than sourcing product across the border themselves. Building and maintaining a PCP, keeping traceability records current, and staying ready to act on a recall are recurring operational tasks, not a box to check once at licensing.
Apply well before your shipment ships, not after it's booked
Timing matters more than most first-time importers expect. CFIA's own guidance notes that a licence application or amendment can take up to 15 business days just to be assigned to a case officer, and files that require pre-issuance verification average around 70 business days to process (inspection.canada.ca/en/food-licences/obtain-licence). CBSA Customs Notice 24-03 confirms what happens if that timing slips: a valid SFC licence number is expected on the import declaration, and shipments arriving without one face delays at the border (cbsa-asfc.gc.ca, CN24-03).
For anyone weighing direct import against buying through a Canadian wholesale house, that lead time is worth building into the decision early — see Importing Middle Eastern Food into Canada: A Plain-Language Guide for the fuller picture. A first-time importer bringing in a single trial container from a Levantine supplier, for example, needs the licence in hand well before that container is even loaded at origin, not just before it clears Canadian customs.
Related questions
Can I apply for an SFC licence once my shipment is already on the water?
It's not a safe plan. CFIA does not issue licences at the border, and processing can run from roughly 15 to 70 business days depending on whether pre-issuance verification is required. Apply before the shipment is booked, not after.
Where do I actually apply?
Through CFIA's My CFIA online portal, which handles applications, amendments and renewals under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (inspection.canada.ca/en/food-licences/obtain-licence).
I only ever buy from a Canadian wholesale supplier — does any of this apply to me?
Generally, no. If a Canadian supplier is the one bringing the goods in and you're buying already-landed stock, you're a domestic buyer rather than an importer. See buy from a licensed Canadian importer.
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 import decisions.