Item - 2025.HL21.7

The Board of Health: 

1. Directed the Medical Officer of Health to implement the voluntary Food Safety Management Plan tool as outlined in the report (December 31, 2024) from the Medical Officer of Health in time for the summer 2025 special event season.

2. Directed the Medical Officer of Health to collect feedback and data from special event organizers on the implementation of the Food Safety Management Plan tool and report back to the Board of Health in Q2 of 2026 on next steps, including exploring the feasibility of requiring special event organizers submit a Food Safety Management Plan as part of the special event permitting processes.

The Associate Medical Officer of Health gave a presentation on Enhancing Food Safety at Special Events.

There are hundreds of special events in Toronto throughout the year and especially during the summer adding to the vibrancy of the city. Toronto Public Health (TPH) protects health at special events by providing guidance for water and food safety. Food safety rules can be complex, and food vendors at special events are held to the same standard as permanent food premises, but must achieve these standards while outside in crowded areas with limited infrastructure.

The number of special events is expected to increase as the City takes steps to grow the number of non-permanent food locations by creating new spaces for events like farmers markets. While these are welcomed changes that support the city's vibrancy, they also significantly increase the workload for public health inspectors (PHIs). As special events are clustered in the summer months, concurrently with peak times for other work, TPH PHIs cannot inspect all special event food vendors. To reduce risks for food safety issues while managing operational constraints, TPH is introducing The Food Safety Management Plan (FSMP), a new, voluntary, tool for event organizers which promotes proactive and preventative approaches to special event food safety. The introduction of the FSMP tool is supported by additional educational resources for both organizers and vendors of special events.