Item - 2026.HL33.4

The Board of Health:  

1. Directed the Medical Officer of Health to engage other relevant City divisions to incorporate the Food Safety Management Plan into special event permitting processes.

2. Directed the Medical Officer of Health to report back to the Board of Health in Q4 2028 on the progress and outcomes of the implementation of the Food Safety Management Plan.

Toronto hosts thousands of special events each year, including street festivals, farmers’ markets, community celebrations, sports competitions, concerts, and large-scale gatherings that take place across public streets, parks, civic squares, and city facilities. Food is central to many of these special events and is often provided through temporary food premises that operate with limited infrastructure, increasing food safety risks. The continued growth in both the number and size of special events—many of which are concentrated on summer weekends—creates operational challenges for Toronto Public Health (TPH) in conducting timely food safety inspections while also maintaining routine inspection activities across the city.

Toronto Public Health developed the Food Safety Management Plan (FSMP), an online planning tool that equips special event organizers (SEOs) with guidance on safe food handling practices, risk assessment, vendor oversight, and food safety emergency planning. The Food Safety Management Plan moves food safety considerations earlier in the special event planning process to enable special event organizer's to understand their food safety responsibilities and how to best structure their event to minimize food safety risks and support food vendors. As directed by the Board of Health, the Food Safety Management Plan was launched in January 2025 as a voluntary tool to gather industry input. Feedback from early users who chose to use the tool indicates strong support: organizers reported that completing the Food Safety Management Plan increased their knowledge of food safety, improved vendor setup and oversight, and was used during special events to both prevent and respond to food safety issues.

Consultation with City divisions involved in special event permitting, including Parks and Recreation, Transportation Services, Corporate Real Estate Management, and Economic Development and Culture, identified opportunities to promote or integrate the Food Safety Management Plan within existing permitting processes.

This report outlines the development and early impact of the Food Safety Management Plan and recommends next steps for advancing its integration into the City’s special event permitting processes thereby making its completion a requirement for special event organizers.