Glossary: Understanding Food Premises Terms and Definitions

Question: What is the role of a "farmers' market food vendor" in Ontario?

Answer: A "farmers' market food vendor" operates a stall at a centralized location where multiple vendors sell products, primarily their own farm goods like fruits, vegetables, and baked items. Ensuring food safety and compliance with regulations such as Ontario Food Premises Regulation, O. Reg. 493/17 is crucial for maintaining health standards. For those needing legal guidance on compliance, DefendCharges.ca offers a free quarter-hour consultation to discuss your rights and obligations.

“corrosion-resistant material” means any material that maintains its original surface characteristics after,

(a) repeated exposure to food, soil, moisture or heat, or

(b) exposure to any substance used in cleansing and sanitizing; (“matériau résistant à la corrosion”)

“domestic hen” means a hen of the domestic chicken belonging to the species Gallus Domesticus; (“poule domestique”)

“eggs” means raw eggs in the shell; (“oeufs”)

“equipment” means any appliance, apparatus or device that is or may be used in the operation or maintenance of a food premise, including vending machines, but does not include utensils or multi-service articles; (“équipement”)

“farmers’ market food vendor” means the operator of a stall or other food premise that is located at a central location at which a group of persons who operate stalls or other food premises meets to sell or offer for sale to consumers products that include, without being restricted to, farm products, baked goods and preserved foods, and at which the majority of the persons operating the stalls or other food premises are producers of farm products who are primarily selling or offering for sale their own products; (“vendeur d’aliments dans un marché de producteurs”)

“farm products” means products that are grown, raised or produced on a farm and intended for use as food and include, without being restricted to, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, meat and meat products, dairy products, honey products, maple products, fish, grains and seeds and grain and seed products; (“produits agricoles”)

“food contact surface” means the surface of counters, equipment and utensils with which food may normally come into contact; (“surface de contact avec des aliments”)

“food handler” means any person who,

(a) is employed in a food premise, and

(b) handles or comes in contact with any utensil or with food during its preparation, processing, packaging, service, storage or transportation; (“préposé à la manutention des aliments”)

“food handler training” means food safety training provided by a local board of health, agency of a board of health or through a program that the Ministry has recognized as being equivalent to the food safety training standards established by the Ministry; (“formation des préposés à la manutention des aliments”)

“food service premise” means any food premise where meals or meal portions are prepared for immediate consumption or sold or served in a form that will permit immediate consumption on the premises or elsewhere; (“lieu de restauration”)

“Grade ‘C’ eggs” means eggs that are graded Canada C in accordance with the Egg Regulations (Canada), made under the Canada Agricultural Products Act (Canada); (“oeufs de catégorie C”)

“handwashing station” means a hand basin with hot and cold running water that is located in close proximity to a soap dispenser and either a mechanical hand dryer or a single-service towel dispenser; (“poste de lavage des mains”)

“low-risk food” means food that is not potentially hazardous food; (“aliments à faible risque”)

“manufactured meat product” means food that is the product of a process, that contains meat as an ingredient and that is customarily eaten without further cooking, and includes meat that is processed by salting, pickling, fermenting, canning, drying or smoking or otherwise applying heat or to which edible fats, cereals, seasonings or sugar have been added; (“produit carné”)

“mobile food premise” means a trailer, cart or vehicle-mounted food premise or other itinerant food premise which is capable of being readily moved and in which food is prepared and offered for sale to the public; (“dépôt d’aliments mobile”)

“multi-service article” means any container or utensil that is intended for repeated use in the service or sale of food; (“article à usage multiple”)

“official method” means a method used by a public health laboratory centre established under section 79 of the Act for the laboratory examination of food; (“méthode officielle”)

“potentially hazardous food” means food in a form or state that is capable of supporting the growth of infectious or toxigenic micro-organisms and which requires time and temperature control to limit such growth; (“aliments potentiellement dangereux”)

“pre-packaged foods” means food that is packaged at a premise other than the premises at which it is offered for sale; (“aliments préemballés”)

“registered egg station” means a registered egg station within the meaning of the Egg Regulations (Canada) made under the Canada Agricultural Products Act (Canada); (“poste d’oeufs agréé”)

“registered processed egg station” means a registered processed egg station within the meaning of the Processed Egg Regulations (Canada) made under the Canada Agricultural Products Act (Canada); (“poste agréé d’oeufs transformés”)

“sanitizing” means treatment designed to reduce the level of microorganisms to a level that will not compromise the safety of food products, and “sanitize” has a corresponding meaning; (“désinfection, désinfecter”)

“serving” includes self-service; (“service”)

“single-service article” means any container or eating utensil that is to be used only once in the service or sale of food; (“article à usage unique”)

“single-service towel” means a towel that is to be used only once before being discarded or laundered for reuse; (“serviette jetable”)

“utensil” includes kitchenware, tableware, glasses, cutlery or other similar items used in the handling, preparing, processing, packaging, displaying, serving, dispensing, storing, containing or consuming of food. (“ustensile”)