Ottawa covers home-based food-related businesses
Restaurateurs have raised the issue of entrepreneurs who cook food at home. The police are investigating the complaints.
In Canada, including among the Russian-speaking population, home-based businesses related to food preparation are very common. People successfully sell homemade semi-finished products, dairy products, pizzas, pies and much more. Buyers are mostly found on social media. For some, it is a way to make money at home, and for others, it is an opportunity to eat familiar food when there is no time to cook on their own.
Such activities did not please a coalition of Indian restaurateurs in Ottawa. They complained about two entrepreneurs who were cooking South Asian cuisine at home and selling it through Facebook and Kijiji, an online advertising service.
Last autumn the city police took up an inspection on one complaint. As a result, the landlord and the tenant were notified of the violation and the activity had to be stopped. The second complaint is under investigation.
Indian restaurateurs claim to know more than 20 businesses that sell homemade food online. In addition to Asian cuisine, people prepare Turkish, Lebanese, and Nigerian dishes for sale.
The province of Ontario only allows so-called "safe" foods to be prepared at home. These include candy, baked goods, jams, pickles, preserves, chocolate, candy, etc. All other foods must be prepared in professional kitchens that meet provincial requirements and are approved by the Ottawa Public Health Authority.
It is not yet clear how far the investigations will go and whether the city police will take on other businessmen.
