Most York Region eateries will need certified food handler under new bylaw

Yorkregion.com
Oct. 8, 2015
By Chris Traber

York Region is making sure you’ll feel fine after you dine.

The region has introduced a new bylaw requiring all high and moderate risk food premises in our nine municipalities to have a certified food handler on site during operations.

York Region’s mandatory food handler certification bylaw will be phased in over three years and requires:

At least one owner/operator in the food premises have current and valid food handler certification;

At least one food handler in the food premises have current and valid food handler certification;

At least one certified food handler be present on site at all times during operations, to supervise the processing, preparation, storage, handling, display, distribution, transportation, service or offering of food for sale.

Food premises exempt from the bylaw include:

• Boarding houses that provide meals to less than 10 boarders;
• Food premises owned and operated or leased by religious organizations, service clubs and fraternal organizations where they prepare/serve meals for special events and conduct bake sales;
• Farmers market food vendors;
• Low-risk fixed food premises.

A food premise is assessed as high, moderate or low risk based on a number of factors, which includes compliance with the food handling regulation, the amount of steps required to prepare the food and the type of people being served.

Examples of high-risk food premises may include long-term care facilities, childcare centres, banquet halls and some restaurants. Moderate-risk premises may include some take-out or fast food premises and low-risk food premises would include convenience stores that offer pre-packaged goods.

In addition to high and moderate-risk premises, the bylaw will also apply to all high and moderate-risk special event vendors, mobile preparation premises and street vending carts.
York Region Public Health hosts a series of public meetings in October to educate restaurant owners and operators about the new bylaw.

For more information about the new bylaw, the YorkSafe Food Handler Certification program or to register for a public meeting, contact York Region Health Connection at 1-800-361-5653 or visit york.ca/foodsafety.