Complying with SFCR: How to Get an SFC license?

Many food businesses are troubled with SFCR and what SFCR is. Today, we will be discussing how to solve your SFC license questions and how to get an SFC license.

​Here is how you can apply for an SFC license:

Steps:
1. Determine if you need an SFC license
Determine if you need a license through the interactive licensing tools.

2. If you need an SFC license, you will need a My CFIA account. If you are creating a My CFIA account, the user guidelines are beneficial for navigating through the account creation.

​3. Before your license application, you will need the following information

• Company information
• Contact information
• Licensing scope and food category selection
• Preventative Control Plan
• Customer Protection Plan
• Traceability (if required)

Let’s dive into some of the information above, as we have heard questions on determining the licensing scope and how many licenses you will need to apply for.

Quick fact for SFC license-

The benefit of applying for a single SFC license is that it saves application time and cost. The disadvantages are if CFIA suspends or cancels the license, every single activity associated with the SFC license is also suspended.

To avoid the above, we usually recommend our client apply for multiple SFC licenses if the activities differ. For example, a local manufacturer that manufactures products for Canada and the US market will apply for two SFC licenses: one for manufacturing and distribution for the Canadian market and another for an exporter SFC license.

Food Categories Determination:
With the number of food categories available for selection, it is hard to determine if you are applying for the right food category. We find these guidelines beneficial for identifying your products into the right food category as it defines what is in each category. Examples are also shown for each food category to give you an idea of what the category and sub-category cover.

Documentation Requirement: Preventative Control Plan, Customer Protection Plan and Traceability
A few key activities determine the type of documentation you will need for the SFC license. We like to categorize them as manufacturing, export and import. Based on these critical activities, we help our clients develop the right preventative control plans best suited for their business needs. You will find our blog on developing the preventative control and customer protection plan helpful to get you started on the program.

4. When you gather all these documents, you are ready to attest that you have all the documentation, submit the application, and pay the license fees. It takes about one to two weeks for license issuance. While not all preventative control documents will be reviewed, you must have the document available for CFIA to review when requested.

If you are looking for assistance in preparing your SFC license application, we’d love to help. Simply book a meeting at https://calendly.com/felicialoo. Free quotation is available for consultation and procedures and forms template development to get you started. Let us help you with your SFC license application and meet the SFCR application deadline.

Reference:
https://www.inspection.gc.ca/food-licences/obtain-a-licence/eng/1543359915240/1543360663242