Apply for a Food Establishment Permit

Food Safety

Safe food handling practices are essential to food safety during preparation, storage, and transport of food products to prevent food borne illness.

Under the NWT Food Establishment Regulations (FESR) most food operators / vendors must have a food permit and must be certified as a trained food handler to handle food.

Handling food includes, but not limited to:

  • Collecting
  • Displaying
  • Distributing
  • Harvesting
  • Manufacturing
  • Packaging
  • Preparing
  • Processing (i.e., thawing, heating, cutting, cooking, smoking, chilling, reheating, curing, salting, canning, freezing, drying, washing, and pasteurizing)
  • Selling
  • Serving
  • Storing
  • Transporting

It is illegal to sell or provide food to the public without a permit.

Failure to have a permit can lead to fines of $285 for an individual and $855 for a business.


Under FESR, Food operators / vendors are permitted and inspected by Environmental Health Officers. For information about what is required to sell or provide food to the public in the NWT, please contact the Environmental Health Unit by emailing environmental_health@gov.nt.ca or calling 1-867-767-9066, ext. 49262.

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