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Food Safety

Home Health and Wellness Public Health Inspections and InvestigationsFood Safety

Food premises and COVID-19

Please see our COVID-19 Guidance and Advice for Businesses and Organizations for information intended to provide guidance to residents and businesses to prepare for safe reopening of our community.

Food recalls, notices and investigations

Food recalls

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) food recall warnings | Subscribe to CFIA food recall warning email notifications

Inspection reports and disclosure

DineSafe Durham

DineSafe Durham logo

DineSafe Durham gives information on inspections. It applies to all food premises in Durham Region.

Inspection results are:

A pass
A conditional pass
A closed notice of inspections over two years

More online inspection results are here!

Durham Region Health Department's disclosure program provides online and on-site postings of health inspection results, confirmed infection prevention and control (IPAC) lapses, legal action and complaints of inspected facilities to help Durham Region residents make informed decisions and protect their health.

Check health inspection and legal activity results

Home-based food premises

How to start a home-based food premise (HBFP)

Step 1: Determine what food product(s) you want to make and sell.
Step 2: Contact your local municipality and fire department to ensure your house is suitable for a HBFP and meets all licensing/zoning requirements.
Step 3: Review all requirements in the Durham Region Health Department (DRHD) home-based food premises document and all applicable legislation, such as the Ontario Food Premises Regulation and Health Protection and Promotion Act.
Step 4: Complete the food premises questionnaire with all applicable business information and submit to DRHD for review at least 14 days before operation. Your local public health inspector will review your application and contact you to further discuss your new HBFP operation.

Methods to submit your application

Email: ehl@durham.ca
Fax: 905-666-1887
Mail: 101 Consumers Drive, 2nd floor, Whitby, ON, L1N 1C4
Step 5: Ensure equipment is operational and meets all requirements under the Ontario Food Premises Regulation prior to your inspection.
Step 6: Once your HBFP is inspected, it must be in compliance with the DineSafe Durham by-law, including the disclosure of your inspection and business on DineSafe Durham. Your HBFP will be inspected routinely as determined by DRHD.

Food premises questionnaireHome-based food premises requirementsHome canningIcing and frosting guidelines

Food premise owners and operators

Inspection information for food premises

The Health Protection and Promotion Act demands public health inspectors inspect food premises.

Contact the Health Department, and your municipality, to open a new food-related business. Do the same to renovate a current one.

Public health inspectors can:

Issue tickets.
Issue summonses.
Condemn and seize food products they think are hazardous.
Condemn and seize equipment they think are hazardous.
Order operators to do certain work.
Temporarily close the food premise to reduce or remove hazards.

Tickets can cost up to $500 per offence. Summons convictions cost up to $25,000 per day.

Health Department requirements

If you are a new owner or operator and you want to run a food premises, you have to notify the Health Department.

You need written approval from a health inspector if you want to make changes to your restaurant.

Private water and/or private sewage

If you own or operate a food premises connected to a private well you have to contact the Health Department. The same applies to septic systems.

Private sewage systems must meet the standards of Part 8 of the Ontario Building Code. You may be contacted by a Part 8 and/or safe water inspector.

Submitting a proposal for a food premises

The following must be provided:

Two detailed blueprints or scaled drawings of proposed floor plan.
A public health inspector will discuss how to meet requirements.
A list of finishing materials for:
- Floors
- Walls
- Ceilings
- Counters
- Shelves
A completed food premises questionnaire

You can change your blueprints after the review, but they must be submitted again. When the process is complete, you can arrange to pick up your blueprints and other submitted materials from one of our offices. Offices are open Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Locations are based on the establishment's location:

Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Clarington

Address: 101 Consumers Drive (Second floor), Whitby, ON L1N 1C4
Phone: 905-723-3818 or 1-888-777-9613
Fax: 905-666-1887

Uxbridge, Brock and Scugog Townships

Address: 181 Perry Street, Port Perry, ON L9L 1B8
Phone: 905-985-4889 or 1-866-845-1868
Fax: 905-982-0840

If you have any questions or concerns, contact a public health inspector or other staff at the Health Department.

Inspection process

All food premises in the Durham Region receive an annual risk assessment.

High-risk premises will be inspected at least three times a year.
Moderate-risk premises will be inspected at least twice a year.
Low-risk premises will be inspected at least once a year.

During inspection

During an inspection, a public health inspector will fill out an inspection form and record any violations.

Violations

The categories for violations are:

Items critical to food safety.
Establishment sanitation.
Design and maintenance.
Personal hygiene.

Critical items

Correct all critical items as soon as possible.

Critical items include:

Refrigeration and frozen storage of hazardous food.
Cooking, hot-holding and reheating of hazardous food.
Proper hand washing.
Protection from adulteration and contamination.

Non-critical items

Non-critical items include:

Equipment and utensils sanitation.
Garbage and waste management.
Pest control.
General cleanliness.
Construction of the food premises.

Compliance timeline and date

The Health Department sets a compliance date. You are to correct any violations by this time.

To avoid confusion, talk about your inspection reports with your public health inspector.

If you have any questions after the inspection, contact your health inspector or food safety manager at the Health Department.

Contact information

101 Consumers Drive
Whitby, ON L1N 1C4
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telephone: 905-723-3818

181 Perry Street, Suite 200
Port Perry, ON L9L 1B8
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telephone: 905-985-4889

Other agencies

Municipal offices

Ajax: 905-683-4550
Brock: 705-432-2355
Clarington: 905-623-3379
Oshawa: 905-725-7351
Pickering: 905-420-2222
Scugog: 905-985-7346
Uxbridge: 905-852-9181
Whitby: 905-668-5803

Food safety training courses

One out of three Canadians will get sick from food this year. The cause is often mistakes made by food industry workers, who are responsible for preventing these illnesses. Education is an effective way to prevent illness. The goal of food safety training is to provide workers with basic knowledge of preventing illnesses.

Visit our Food Safety Training page for more information

Special events/farmers' markets

Special event and farmers’ market notification

Durham Region offers many great special events/local farmers’ markets throughout the year. In accordance with the Health Protection and Promotion Act and Food Premises Regulation, Durham Region Health Department must be notified of any special events and local farmers’ markets with food vendors and/or personal service vendors. A public health inspector will review and assess the event and market to ensure regulatory requirements are met.

Special event/farmers’ market coordinators must submit their community special events and farmers’ markets event coordinator/organizer application form 30 days prior to the event/market.
Food and farm food vendors must submit their community special events and farmers’ markets event vendor application form 15 days prior to the event/market.

Vendors preparing home canned food products to the public at a special event or a farmers’ market must ensure they comply with all food safety requirements and be prepared at an inspected kitchen. For more information and guidance on canned food products, please refer to Durham Region Health Department’s home canning fact sheet.

Application forms

Community special events and farmers’ markets event coordinator/organizer application form

Community special events and farmers’ markets event vendor application form

Community special events personal services vendor application form

Guidance documents

How to submit your application

Applications can be submitted to Durham Region Health Department by:

Email: ehl@durham.ca
Fax: 905-666-1887
Mail or drop-off:
Durham Region Health Department - Health Protection Division
Whitby office: 2nd Floor - 101 Consumers Drive, Whitby, ON, L1N 1C4
Port Perry office: 181 Perry Street, Port Perry, ON, L9L 1B8