Restaurants and Food Services

Food poisoning can be prevented if you follow food safety practices.

It is required for most food service operations that anyone planning to prepare and sell or give food to the public take a food safety training course.

Clean

Clean your hands, and wash and sanitize surfaces, and equipment. Do it often and do it well. Bacteria can get onto hands, cutting boards, knives, dishcloths, counters and the food itself.

• Always wash your hands with soap and warm water for 15 seconds when returning from breaks, changing tasks and before handling food or eating
• Keep kitchen equipment, counters, taps, sinks and appliances clean and sanitize, using an approved sanitizer, e.g. bleach and water solution for sanitizing (1 tsp. of bleach per 1 litre of water), or other sanitizers approved by the regulations. Consult with your chemical supplier and public health inspector
• Clean wiping clothes and store cloths in a sanitizing solution while in use
• Wash all raw produce under cold, running water before cutting, serving or eating

Separate

Cross-contamination occurs when bacteria spread from one food to another. This can easily happen when cooked or ready-to-eat foods come into contract with raw meat or other uncooked foods, dirty hands, or contaminated utensils or cutting boards.

Keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate:

• Store raw meats, poultry, seafood, and eggs below ready-to-eat foods
• Use separate cutting boards and utensils for raw meats and fruits/vegetables
• Use separate plates or surfaces for raw meats - do not put ready to eat foods with raw meats
• Marinate foods in the refrigerator and prepare a new marinade each time for basting

Cook

You can reduce your risk of food poisoning by thoroughly cooking your food. You are taking chances whenever you eat meat, poultry or fish that is raw or only partly cooked.

Use a probe thermometer to check cooking temperatures for meat, poultry and fish at its thickest part.

Here is a guide to the proper internal cooking temperatures of common foods:

• Pork: 71°C (160°F)
• Poultry, whole (chicken, duck, turkey): 82°C (180°F)
• Poultry, pieces or ground: 74°C (165°F)
• Ground meat: 71°C (160°F)
• Fish and seafood: 70°C (158°F)
• Egg dishes: 74°C (165°F)
• Mixed foods (soups, stews, casseroles, etc.): 74°C (165°F)

Preparation and serving tips:

• Keep food hot at 60°C or above, after it is cooked until it is served
• If you use your microwave, make sure the food is cooked evenly
• Reheat leftovers to their original cooking temperature

Chill

Keeping cold foods cold will reduce the risk of food poisoning. Cold temperatures slow down the growth of bacteria.

• Keep cold food cold - your refrigerator temperature should be 4°C or lower
• Chill/cools foods quickly by using an ice bath or portioning to smaller portions or shallow containers
• Refrigerate food immediately after delivery
• Cool and refrigerate foods within two hours of preparation
• Do not overfill your refrigerator/cooler - it needs space for the cool air to circulate and keep food cold
• Defrost frozen food in the refrigerator. Use a microwave to defrost immediately before cooking

Every operator of a food service premise must ensure that there is at least one food handler, or supervisor, on the premise during operation, who has completed food handler certification training. We provide food handler training in partnership with Conestoga College. Details and course registration can be found on the Conestoga College website.

A complete list of accredited food handler training and certification programs for Ontario, and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's Provincial Food Handler Training Manual can be found on the Government of Ontario website.

Thinking about starting a home-based food business? Anyone interested in operating a home-based food business must comply with municipal zoning, fire and business licencing requirements, before contacting Public Health. Anyone preparing and providing or selling food to the public must also comply with the Ontario Food Premises Regulation and be inspected regularly by Public Health. To be eligible for a home-based food business, Public Health requires a separate kitchen from the one used for personal use in the home. It is recommended you contact your home insurance provider, to address liability and insurance concerns.

First steps

• Refer to the Ontario Food Premises Regulation and the Food Premises Reference Document 2019 about food safety requirements. All food service businesses must comply with the regulation.
  • Guidelines for Constructing/Renovating a Food Premise - Region of Waterloo
  • A Guide to Starting a Home-based Food Business - Ministry of Health
• Fill out the Food Premise Notification Form
• Send a copy of your proposed floor plan for review by a public health inspector

Next steps

The floor plans and notification form will be reviewed by a public health inspector to ensure all aspects of the Ontario Food Premises Regulation are met. The inspector may notify you to discuss details or any changes that must be made in order to be in compliance.

If you have questions regarding building permits or business licences, contact your local municipality.

Contact us if you have questions about the Ontario Food Premises Regulation. 

The inspector will observe and question food safety practices and check the premise and equipment to ensure the regulations are met and food safety practices are in place to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.

The operator will receive a copy of the inspection report once the inspection is complete. The report will indicate corrective action(s) that are required and a date by which the correction is expected.

A re-inspection may be scheduled to verify that corrective actions have been completed. 

All inspections and re-inspections will be posted on our Check it! We inspect it website.

If a serious problem is identified during an inspection that poses an immediate health risk to the client or the provider, the facility may be ordered to remove the immediate risk, close or stop providing a service until corrective action is taken. 

During food safety inspections, Public Health Inspectors look for the following:

• Special Events Coordinator Form
• Special Event Form for Vendors
• Special Events Public Health Requirements (includes food safety information)

• Food Premises Reference Document - 2019 - English Version
• Food Premises Reference Document - 2019 - French Version
• Food Recall Warning Notifications
• Fight Bac
• How to wash your hands
• Ontario Food Premises Regulation
• Unpasteurized Milk
• Resources to Prevent COVID-19 in the Workplace (Ministry of Labour)