Home food business rules in BC: Vancouver, Surrey and tiffin services
In BC, lower-risk foods can be sold without approval, but meals need a health operating permit from your regional health authority, and home kitchens rarely qualify. Here's how it works in Surrey, Vancouver and the rest of BC.
· 3 min read
Who decides in BC
Food premises in BC are approved by the regional health authority: Fraser Health (Surrey, Burnaby, Abbotsford, Langley and more), Vancouver Coastal Health (Vancouver, Richmond, North Shore), Interior Health, Island Health and Northern Health. Your city handles business licences and zoning.
Lower-risk food vs meals
Fraser Health says people selling lower-risk food items don't need approval. Businesses that prepare and serve food intended for immediate consumption need a health operating permit, and food stores and manufacturers need approval to operate.
A tiffin or meal prep service cooks meals for people to eat, so plan on needing a permit. Interior Health says home-based kitchens are generally not allowed, with some exceptions. Ask your officer before you count on your home kitchen.
Surrey and the Fraser region
- Apply for health approval to your local Fraser Health environmental health officer.
- Submit the plans and certifications they ask for, including floor plans drawn to scale (three sets) for a new or renovated premises.
- Get your business licence from the City of Surrey, or your own city in the Fraser region.
Vancouver
Vancouver Coastal Health issues annual permits to food service establishments, which include caterers. It reviews floor plans before any construction, and asks for a food safety plan and a sanitation plan. The City of Vancouver's home-based business rules say food businesses are regulated by provincial rules, so start with VCH.
How most BC tiffin kitchens start
Most rent time in a permitted commercial kitchen, often a shared kitchen, a restaurant in its quiet hours, or a community or temple kitchen. The kitchen's permit and inspections are already in place. See home food business rules in Canada for what to ask.
BC has GST (5%) plus PST (7%). Most prepared meals are exempt from PST, but GST applies once you're registered. See GST/HST for tiffin businesses.
Food safety training in BC
BC's standard food safety course is FOODSAFE Level 1, offered online and in person. Health authorities expect the operator, and usually at least one trained person on every shift, to hold it. Take it before you apply; it also makes writing your food safety plan much easier.
What to have ready for the environmental health officer
- Your menu, and how each dish is cooked, cooled, stored, packed and delivered.
- Where you'll cook: the kitchen's address, and its permit if you're renting a permitted kitchen.
- A food safety plan: the points where food could become unsafe, and how you control them (temperatures, times, checks).
- A sanitation plan: how and when you clean and sanitize, and with what.
- Floor plans, if you're building or renovating a premises.
- Your FOODSAFE certificate.
Island Health and Northern Health
Victoria, Nanaimo and the rest of Vancouver Island are covered by Island Health; Prince George and the north by Northern Health. The provincial rules are the same: lower-risk foods without approval, a permit for meals. Contact the environmental health office for your area.
Questions to ask before you rent a kitchen
- Does the kitchen hold a current health operating permit, and does it cover my type of food?
- Do I need my own permit, or do I operate under theirs?
- Is there fridge and freezer space I can keep, and is it locked?
- Can I load a car at the door for delivery?
Questions
Can I sell food from home in BC?
Lower-risk foods can be sold without health approval. Food prepared for people to eat, like meals, needs a health operating permit from your regional health authority. Interior Health says home kitchens are generally not allowed for permitted food premises.
Who do I contact to start a tiffin service in Surrey?
Fraser Health's environmental health officers. Food businesses that prepare food for immediate consumption need a health operating permit, and you'll submit plans and certifications with your application. The City of Surrey handles business licences.
Who do I contact in Vancouver?
Vancouver Coastal Health issues food service permits; the City of Vancouver handles business licences. VCH reviews floor plans before construction and asks for a food safety plan and a sanitation plan.