Import & Logistics
Importing Middle Eastern food into Canada: a plain-language guide for GTA buyers
Importing food into Canada legally means holding a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence before your shipment reaches the border, backing it with a written preventive control plan, and keeping traceability records that can follow a lot from origin to customer. Most GTA restaurants, grocers and cafés never need to do any of this themselves — they buy from a distributor or importer who already holds the licence, which is the arrangement this whole guide exists to explain clearly.
This is a plain-language walk-through of what the rules actually require, in what order, and — just as important — when they simply don't apply to you because someone else in the chain already carries them. It draws only on CFIA and Health Canada guidance, with links to the primary sources throughout.
Who actually needs a Safe Food for Canadians licence
Anyone conducting the regulated activity of "importing food" into Canada needs an SFC licence before the shipment arrives, under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (CFIA — Importing food). That includes food brought in for resale, for a restaurant kitchen, or for a private-label project — the licence attaches to the act of importing, not to the size of the business.
It does not attach to the businesses one step further down the chain. A restaurant, café or grocery buying cases from a Canadian distributor or import catalogue — including Levant Direct — is a customer of an importer, not an importer itself. The licence question only becomes yours if you are the one arranging for goods to cross the border. The reassurance version of this point, with the comparison spelled out, is in buying from a licensed importer vs. importing yourself.
What the licence actually requires
Two things sit behind every SFC licence: a written preventive control plan (PCP) that shows how you identify and manage food-safety risk for what you import, and traceability records that can connect a lot of product one step back to your supplier and one step forward to your customer (CFIA — preventive control plans for importers). Both exist so a recall, if one is ever needed, can move fast and land on the right lot.
Timing matters more than most first-time importers expect. Licence applications can take up to 15 business days to process on their own, and roughly 70 business days when the CFIA needs to carry out pre-issuance verification first (CFIA — what to consider before applying for a licence). That's not a fee you can pay to skip — it's lead time to plan around, and it's one more reason most GTA buyers find it simpler to buy through an already-licensed importer.
The label and allergen rules that follow the licence
A licence gets food across the border; it does not make the label correct. Mandatory information on a Canadian food label — the common name, net quantity and the rest — has to appear in English and French, under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (sections 205–207) and the Food and Drug Regulations (B.01.012); a narrow set of exemptions covers specialty foods tied to religious significance and not widely consumed in Canada, and local or test-market foods (CFIA — bilingual food labelling). Most imported Levantine pantry goods sold generally in Canada do not qualify for that exemption, so plan for a bilingual label as the default, not the exception.
Allergens follow their own Canadian rule regardless of what the origin-country label says. Sesame is one of Canada's priority food allergens (Health Canada — sesame, a priority food allergen), which matters directly in a Levantine pantry — tahini, halawa and sesame-topped breadsticks all carry it. The full walk-through of what a Canadian label needs, line by line, is in Canadian labels on imported food.
Where this leaves a GTA restaurant, café or grocer
In practice, the licence, the PCP and the bilingual label are the importer's job, not the buyer's. What is worth your attention as a buyer is confirming that whoever you're ordering from is actually carrying that weight — ask, and a straight answer is a good sign. Levant Direct works with eight named supplier houses across Jordan, Syria, Türkiye and Egypt and quotes shelf-stable goods by the case through a written inquiry; see how inquiry ordering works for the mechanics.
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Import rules apply to specific products and business situations in ways only the regulator can confirm — verify your own circumstances with the CFIA or Health Canada before you rely on anything here.
Related questions
Do I need an import licence to buy Middle Eastern food wholesale in Canada?
Only if you are the one bringing the goods across the border. Buying from a licensed Canadian importer or distributor — the normal route for GTA restaurants, cafés and grocers — does not require your own licence; the importer holds it.
How long does a Safe Food for Canadians licence take to get?
Up to 15 business days for a standard application, and roughly 70 business days when the CFIA requires pre-issuance verification first. It's a real planning constraint, which is why most buyers prefer to work through an importer who is already licensed.
Are Middle Eastern foods exempt from bilingual English/French labelling?
Rarely. The specialty-food exemption is narrow — it covers foods of religious significance that aren't widely consumed in Canada, plus local or test-market products — and most imported Levantine pantry lines sold generally don't meet it. Plan for a bilingual label as the default.