Temporary food service permit

A temporary food service permit is an approval to serve food at a temporary event, apart from the permit for a fixed premises. A buyer of a food truck or catering business meets it when the business works events, so ask which events it served and on what approval. The restaurant buyer checklist covers the wider review.

British Columbia

Vancouver Coastal Health says every operator of a food service establishment must have a valid annual permit, and that the annual permit is not transferable to a new owner or to a temporary event. It lists temporary events and markets as a separate topic. BC’s Food Premises Regulation says a person must not operate a food service establishment unless the person holds a permit.

Alberta

Alberta’s Food Regulation works by notification. Section 3(3) says a permit is not required to operate a temporary food establishment at a special event, and section 3(4) says food handling must still comply with the Regulation. Under section 39, an operator who proposes to operate a temporary food establishment at a special event must notify the regional health authority, in the form and manner it requires.

What to ask

• Which events the business served, and what approval or notice was filed for each.
• Whether the new owner must apply in its own name.
• Whether the health authority has event-specific forms. See food premises permit.