Seafood safety
The B.C. government is committed to working with the seafood industry to help ensure that safe, high-quality seafood enters the B.C. marketplace supporting consumer confidence, food security, and the food economy in B.C.
The Fish and Seafood Act and the Seafood Licensing Regulation were brought into force on January 1, 2017.
Notably, all seafood processors licensed by the B.C. government are required to develop, maintain, and follow a written food safety and sanitation plan which addresses all potential food safety concerns. In order to support the industry in meeting the regulatory requirements, the B.C. government has created the following supports:
Seafood industry notices
Seafood processors
- Seafood Industry Notice for Seafood Processors - Sport-caught Fish (PDF) - October 2022
- Seafood Industry Notice for Seafood Processors - Licensing & Requirements (PDF) - January 2019
- Seafood Industry Notice - Vibrio (PDF) - May 2022
- Seafood Industry Notice - Norovirus (PDF) - October 2022
- Infographic for Live Bivalve (e.g., oysters) Record Keeping Requirements (PDF) - April 2022
Fish receivers
- Seafood Industry Notice for Fish Receivers - Licensing & Requirements (PDF) - January 2019
- Seafood Industry Notice - Vibrio (PDF) - May 2022
- Seafood Industry Notice - Norovirus (PDF) - October 2022
Fisher vendors
- Seafood Industry Notice for Fisher Vendors - Licensing & Requirements (PDF) - January 2019
- Infographic for Fisher Vendors (PDF) - April 2022
COVID-19
- Seafood Safety and COVID-19 (PDF) - June 2022
Sanitation plan supports
The workbook accompanies the educational video below:
- Sanitation Plan Workbook (PDF)
- Sanitation Plan Workbook (PDF) (Simplified Chinese)
- Sanitation Plan Templates (DOCX)
- Sanitation Plan (Video)
Food safety plan supports
The workbook accompanies the educational videos below:
- Food Safety Plan Workbook (PDF, 1.6 MB)
- Food Safety Plan Workbook (PDF) (Simplified Chinese)
- Food Safety Plan Templates (DOCX)
- Sample Food Safety Plan - Cooked Crab Meat (PDF)
- Sample Food Safety Plan - Live Fish and Crustaceans (PDF)
- Sample Food Safety Plan - Frozen Seafood Distributor (PDF)
- Sample Food Safety Plan - Frozen Salmon Portion (PDF)
- Sample Food Safety Plan - Hot Smoked Salmon (PDF)
Food safety plan educational video series
This series of videos accompanies the workbook above:
- Part 1. Introduction and Overview of Food Safety Plans (Video)
- Part 2. Starting your Food Safety Plan (Video)
- Part 3. HACCP Principle 1: Identifying Hazards (Video)
- Part 4. HACCP Principle 2: Identifying Critical Control Points (Video)
- Part 5. HACCP Principle 3: Establishing Critical Limits (Video)
- Part 6. HACCP Principle 4: Establishing Monitoring Procedures (Video)
- Part 7. HACCP Principle 5: Establishing Corrective Actions (Video)
- Part 8. HACCP Principle 6: Establishing Verification Procedures (Video)
- Part 9. HACCP Principle 7: Keeping Records (Video)
- Part 10. Appendix 3: HACCP Prerequisite Programs (Video)
Food safety courses
Consider these courses for you or your employees: