Province simplifies food permit process ahead of festival season

CITynews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

The provincial government is making some changes heading into the summer season aimed at making it easier to get a temporary food permit.
Temporary food permits are needed when food is being served to the public for a period of 14 days or fewer.

That could be for events like festivals and fairs.

But up until now, it has been a somewhat cumbersome experience to get one of those permits.

“Across Nova Scotia, food brings people together,” said Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “Festivals, fairs and other community events with food are also important fundraisers for community organizations and are usually run by volunteers. These changes support better client service and more efficient delivery of government services so that community groups don’t have to spend unnecessary hours on paperwork, while still giving the public confidence that the food served is safe.”

The province is now making changes, including posting all information on temporary food permits in one place online, as well as making it clearer who actually needs a permit.

“The province’s updated strategy for temporary food event permits has been a game-changer. The streamlined application process is clearer, more concise and easier for vendors to follow. Their increased engagement and earlier, well-communicated deadlines have significantly reduced the burden on event organizers like us, saving time, improving compliance and giving vendors more runway to prepare and succeed,” said Richard Yang, lead organizer, Taste of Asia Food & Culture Festival.

The application form is also being cut in half, and one application will be usable for multiple events hosted by the same vendor.

The department issued more than 900 temporary event permits in 2024, about half of them for one-day events.