Safe Food for Canadians Licence Application: Process and Current Wait Times

On March 12, 2026, the CFIA’s Director of Operations, Craig C. Price, distributed an email titled “Changes to SFC Licensing Process” to Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence holders. The message could easily have been overlooked as another routine system-generated notice, but it announced one of the most significant recent changes to the SFC licence application process.

The most important change is processing time. Previously, applications involving lower-risk commodities, such as manufactured foods, could often be processed automatically or approved after a quick review of about 48 hours. That is no longer the case. Applications, amendments, and renewals are now subject to manual review and, where required, an interview. The stated service standard can be as long as 70 business days – more than three months. Based on our recent experience, many licences are being issued in approximately six to eight weeks.

This change makes last-minute applications much riskier. Some licence holders have traditionally waited until shortly before expiry to renew, while some importers have waited until a shipment was already on the water before applying for or amending a licence. Under the current process, that may be far too late. Without a valid licence, a processor may not be legally permitted to conduct the licensed activity, and an importer may face a shipment being held at the border while costly demurrage and storage charges accumulate.

To help avoid these delays and their potential impact on your business, the following sections walk through the SFC licence application process step by step.

1. The first step is to create access to MyCFIA. As with many Government of Canada online services, an individual can create a personal profile using a Sign-In Partner or GCKey. After signing in, a company profile must be created and supported by valid proof of authority to act on behalf of the business.
2. After the company profile is created, you may see the word “Active” beside the company name. Importantly, “Active” does not mean the profile has been validated for licence applications. At this stage, you may still be unable to apply for a licence. Proof of authority must be uploaded and accepted. Once the profile has been validated, its status will show as “Validated.”
3. Once the company profile is validated, select “New Service Request” to begin an SFC licence application. It is essential to choose the correct activities, commodities, and sub-commodities. The CFIA provides guidance in “What to consider before applying for a Safe Food for Canadians licence” (https://inspection.canada.ca/en/food-licences/obtain-licence#anna). Some product classifications are not intuitive. For example, fruit juice may fall under processed fruits rather than non-alcoholic beverages, while chips or sauces containing even a small amount of fish ingredients may fall under composite fish products rather than manufactured foods.
4. For importers, an SFC licence is only one part of determining whether a product can enter Canada. Import requirements should also be checked through the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS). AIRS can be searched by HS code or keyword and uses a series of drill-down questions to identify the product more precisely. At the end of the search, AIRS provides a summary of applicable requirements. If a product is prohibited, the result may indicate that entry is refused. If the only requirement is an SFC licence, the summary will identify that requirement. Any additional import conditions will also be listed. For more detail, see our 2022 blog, Importing Food into Canada: An Introduction to CFIA AIRS.
5. Another commonly overlooked point is domestic labelling. For food intended for interprovincial trade, labelling may itself be a licensable domestic activity. A licence holder should therefore make sure that the activities listed on the licence accurately cover any labelling work being performed in Canada.
6. After the applicable import and domestic activities are selected, the applicant will be asked whether a preventive control plan (PCP) has been implemented to support compliance with Canadian regulatory requirements. A written PCP is mandatory for higher-risk commodities such as meat, fish, dairy, and fresh or processed fruits and vegetables. For lower-risk manufactured foods, a written PCP may not be required for applicants with annual food sales below $100,000. However, an exemption from the written-plan requirement does not remove the licence holder’s responsibility to implement effective controls for food safety and regulatory compliance. In practice, preparing a PCP before beginning licensed activities is strongly recommended.
7. For domestic processors, the Food Safety Supplemental Information (FSSI) questionnaire may also appear and must be completed. The questionnaire requests operational details such as annual production volume, the number of food-safety and regulatory personnel, and existing certifications. It also includes questions about whether ready-to-eat (RTE) products will be handled at the facility and what control measures are in place for those products.
8. After the application is completed, a non-refundable service fee of $307.96, as of August 2026, must be paid before the application can be processed. Once issued, the licence is valid for two years from the date of issuance.
9. The application then enters the review stage, which may take several weeks. If an interview is required, the applicant will receive an email indicating that action is required before the application can proceed. After logging in to the company profile, an action button will appear beside the application, allowing the applicant to schedule an interview with a CFIA representative from the available times.
10. The interview is typically about 30 minutes and is intended to verify the requested licence activities and confirm the applicant’s understanding of the PCP. Typical questions may include: “What is a mock recall?” “Provide an example of a hazard.” and “What is included in your PCP?” The interview is not an inspection, and the PCP or related records are generally not reviewed during the interview itself.
11. For higher-risk commodities, an inspection may be triggered instead of, or in addition to, an interview. In that case, a CFIA inspector may request a copy of the PCP for review. For domestic processors, an on-site inspection may also be scheduled to verify the establishment’s compliance. After a successful interview or inspection, the licence may be issued within a few days or, in some cases, sooner.
12. After issuance, the licence can be found under the “Issued Permissions” tab in MyCFIA. If it does not appear, check the date-range filter at the top of the section. The default view may only show recent records, which can make an older licence appear to be missing. Click the licence number to view the licensed activities.
13. Beside the licence number are two important functions: Amendment and Renewal. A licence can be amended when changes are required; however, an earlier amendment request must be resolved before another amendment can be submitted. The Amendment button may therefore be greyed out if any amendment request remains open, even if it has not been fully submitted. No fee is required for an amendment.
14. The Renewal button becomes available when the licence is within three months of expiry. Licence holders receive renewal reminders by email, and it is strongly recommended to begin the renewal process as soon as the first reminder is received. Additional reminders may be sent at approximately 60 days and 30 days before expiry. Both amendments and renewals can trigger an interview or inspection, depending on the applicant’s activities and how recently the licence holder was interviewed or inspected.

The key message is simple: SFC licence applications, amendments, and renewals now require more lead time than many businesses were accustomed to. Plan early, confirm that your MyCFIA profile is validated, select the correct activities and commodities, and make sure your PCP and supporting information are ready. If you encounter an issue with your MyCFIA account, company profile, or licence, you can contact the CFIA permissions team at [email protected]. The Sirocco Consulting team can also assist with licence applications, amendments, renewals, and related compliance planning to help prevent avoidable regulatory interruptions to your business.