Report a Food Safety or Labelling Concern

Restaurant and food service inspection across Canada is generally a collaboration of provincial governments, municipalities or regional public health authorities.

Restaurant Food Safety:

1. Food Poisoning from a Restaurant/Unclean Restaurant Environment
    - Contact the Provincial Public Health Authority in your province. If they determine that food (rather than on-site preparation) appears to be the likely cause of illness, they will contact the CFIA to initiate an investigation.
2. Misrepresentation of Food at a Restaurant (i.e. listed as "real crab" but served imitation crab, "freshly squeezed orange juice", versus fruit drink, "homemade pie" versus store bought pie, etc.) - Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
   • If you suspect that restaurant food has been misrepresented to you in an advertisement, on a menu, or by restaurant staff, you can contact the CFIA's Retail Food Program.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency provides protection for consumers from deceptive practices in restaurants. Any claim made in connection with restaurant food offered for sale must be true and accurate.

Grocers and Pre-Packaged Foods:

1. Food Poisoning from Retail Food/Pre-Packaged Food - Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
2. Unclean Retail Food Establishments (i.e. grocery stores - mice sightings, dirty floors, inappropriate refrigeration temperatures) - Contact the Provincial Public Health Authority in your province>.
3. Poor Quality Food (i.e. mold in packaged food, rotted fruits or vegetables) - Return to the store where it was purchased
4. Expired Food (i.e. best before dates) - Return to the store where it was purchased
   • For a description of the various types of expired foods, see Date Labelling on Pre-Packaged Foods
5. Putrid Pre-Packaged Foods (i.e. maggots, bugs, etc.) - Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
6. Insufficient Nutritional Label on Pre-Packaged Food (i.e. no nutritional information, suspicion that the information is incorrect) - Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
7. Insufficient Origin Label on Pre-Packaged Food (i.e. no indication of the country of origin) - Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
   • Different rules may apply, depending on the food product. For more information, see the Import section of the Guide to Labelling and Advertising, or Frequently asked Questions on Product of Canada and Made in Canada Claims
8. Complaint about a Natural Health Product - Contact Health Canada