MAPAQ food permit (Quebec)

MAPAQ is the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation. Its permit pages say a food permit is required in most situations, including for online sales, and that the permit needed depends on the type of activity. Preparing meals calls for the restauration permit; selling food that is not a meal or snack, as grocery stores, bakeries and convenience stores do, calls for the vente au détail permit. Wholesale permits are separate.

Why a sale does not carry the permit

Section 12 of the Food Products Act says the rights granted under a permit cannot be validly transferred to another person. Under section 10, the Minister issues a permit if the applicant fulfils the conditions set and pays the duties fixed by regulation, though no permit is issued unless the Minister finds the intended operations are in the public interest. MAPAQ also says permit holders must notify its permit service within 15 days after a change to what was declared in the permit application or renewal. See what licences transfer when I buy a business.

What to ask

• Does the business hold a restauration or a vente au détail permit, and does it match what the buyer will do?
• Can the buyer apply in its own name before closing, and how long does MAPAQ say that takes?
• Does the permit carry conditions or restrictions the buyer has to meet?