Alberta Regulation 297/2025 amends the Food Regulation under the Public Health Act with the objective of improving food safety oversight, clarifying the regulatory treatment of child care and social care settings, strengthening inspection transparency, and updating training requirements for food handlers. The amendments reflect a policy shift toward clearer accountability for smaller, care-based food operations while maintaining proportional requirements and transitional flexibility.

A central feature of the regulation is the formal integration of licensed facility-based programs, as defined under the Early Learning and Child Care Act, into the food safety framework. The regulation revises definitions to distinguish licensed facility-based programs from other social care facilities, while continuing to capture family day home programs and operations providing care to children or adults requiring special care. These definitional changes ensure regulatory clarity and avoid overlap between different licensing regimes.

The scope provisions are amended to introduce a new Part 6.2, which applies specifically to licensed facility-based programs and social care facilities that provide care to 10 or fewer individuals and operate as food establishments. This change brings smaller care settings explicitly within the food regulatory regime, while tailoring requirements to reflect their scale and risk profile. Corresponding amendments remove outdated exclusions and align inspection and compliance obligations across similar types of operations.

The regulation introduces a new requirement for public transparency through the mandatory display of public health inspection reports. Food establishment operators must now prominently display the most recent inspection report, provide the website address where the report may be accessed, and include clear information on how patrons can submit public health concerns or complaints. This measure is intended to improve public confidence, improve compliance incentives, and align Alberta’s practices with broader trends in inspection disclosure.

Food sanitation and hygiene training requirements for commercial food establishments are revised to clarify certification standards and retention obligations. When five or fewer food handlers are present, at least one individual with care and control of the establishment must hold a current and valid minister-approved certificate.

Part 6.2 establishes detailed operational standards for small licensed facility-based programs and social care facilities, including requirements for potable water, pest control, waste management, sanitary food-contact surfaces, proper food sourcing and storage, utensil sanitation, and personal hygiene of food handlers.

Alberta (297/2025) January 21, 2026
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