Nunavut government wants cooks to stop offering homemade meals for sale
But country foods are OK
If you’re hungry in a Nunavut community, you can usually find some homemade food, like this macaroni salad, for sale on Facebook. (Facebook photo)
The Government of Nunavut wants residents to make simple, low-risk foods for sale.
These include such items as baked goods, sweets, dry foods, and fresh fruit or vegetables, the GN said on Aug. 19 in a health advisory.
The GN said there has been an increase in advertising of homemade prepared food for sale on social media.
But these home-cooked foods may not be prepared in accordance with standards and processes approved by the Department of Health, the GN said.
This pizza offered on Facebook for sale looks yummy, but the Government of Nunavut is advising home cooks to make food that is less likely to spoil. (Facebook photo)
As well, many do not have the means to safely store, hold and serve food in large quantities for the public, the GN said.
Meals should be prepared in an approved kitchen such as a community hall or school kitchen, the GN said.
The advisory doesn’t apply to low-risk foods prepared for fundraising or to country foods, the GN said, suggesting Nunavummiut contact regional environmental health officers for more information.
The GN health advisory follows a public reminder issued earlier this month from the City of Iqaluit to residents that preparing food for sale requires a valid business licence.
That requirement does not apply when people are giving the prepared food away for free or selling it at bake sales.
“If a person is found to be operating a business in violation of Bylaw 859, they shall receive a written notice of their offence or offences and be given seven calendar days to take sufficient action to be in accordance with this bylaw,” said the city’s news release.
“Failure to do so may result in a fine of $250 to $10,000, depending on the size of business and the number of offences in a calendar year.”
Earlier this year, to curb the possible spread of COVID-19, the Hamlet of Gjoa Haven moved to restrict the sale of homemade baked goods in the western Nunavut community.
The hamlet council decided on April 9 to pass a resolution restricting the sale of baked goods between households in the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inuit have always shared their harvest or meat if they have some to help other families or widows and other needy people in the Community. Some mothers are making money by selling meals and some really appreciate a cooked meal.
That requirement does not apply when people are giving the prepared food away for free or selling it at bake sales.
Giving away food for free is fine but selling it from home is not but baking to sell is ok at a bake sell. It doesn’t seem to make sense. I think most community people know which ones to not buy from as some may be known not to be clean.
Maybe have caribou meat go through HTO to be sold if HTO’s can have a site to sell the meat?
This is so silly! Whose idea was it to push this? We have better things to worry about than people trying to feed each other.
The GN had to put out this news release to fix the City of Iqaluit disasterous communications (again!).
Just another policy that keeps most Inuit in the communities from making extra money to get a bit ahead. That how government works
Just another way to prevent people from trying to make ends meet when the government has already over taxed, under payed and kept our people homeless or overcrowded!!! Boo!
For most home cooks, this is not just about the money or even about the business. This is more about promoting a sense of community and sharing their culture through food at a price that is reasonable so that anyone can afford and enjoy home cooked food. Seeing the customers excited, happy and knowing that they appreciate the food and service are worth more than the price being paid.
If you are willing to be licensed, inspected and able to meet all the regulations for a commercial food establishment, then by all means continue selling your product. If not, please stop because you are an e-coli or salmonella outbreak waiting to happen.
Oh come on now. The food doesn’t last long enough to collect any of that. If they weren’t “selling” it but giving it away there would be no issue. They make the best pizza, banok, Boston cream donuts and lemon pie I’ve ever bought here in the south. Nunavut keep doin what your doin. NIUM!!!
Your post is absolutely nonsensical. You have no idea as to the sanitary conditions in these homes or how the food is prepared, stored or cooked. Salmomella can be present in undercooked or mishandled meat and dairy products and you wouldn’t even know it until it was too late.
Wtf is government doing now!!, why worrie about this now there’s much more big big problems and all you guys can do this ??
OMG, omg, why don’t they tackle the homelessness and the drunks on the streets? They are belittling the lil cooks, as if they have nothing better to do, illarjuaq. They are scared to tackle the big items. Wake up GN and smell the coffee brewing, I might offer you some muffins if you do your job good, oh along with homemade palaugaq 🙂
It is getting really old for the City and the GN to be putting out this stuff. If you don’t enforce your laws, then don’t expect residents to respect them. Its the same with unlicensed lotteries – how about you drop some fines if you feel so strongly about it? Oh wait, you don’t really care.
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These laws are next to pointless anyway, and these concerns are likely coming at the behest of the wealthy licensed restaurants in town who don’t want to compete with $10 meals. Newsflash – the days of paying $30 for a salad, $25 for a burger/fries isn’t going to carry on forever. The excuse about food costs and “the north” just don’t work anymore.
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Its ironic that the same laws don’t apply to “country food” because of the land claim. Raw meat, sometimes left underground for long periods of time, is really the most dangerous stuff to be sold around town. I guess the asian noodles or sushi I buy is much more dangerous though.
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Bottom line is scrap these laws and get down to real business. If the hospital starts getting 50 patients a month with food poisoning then maybe revisit.
I doubt the restaurants in any of the communities had anything to do with this. I’m certain this comes from our Environmental Health Officers and the Department of Health.
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Also, that country food provides an exception isn’t ‘ironic,’ though you might call it a paradox.
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You’re almost certainly bang on about these rules being toothless though, as we will see. I don’t think it’s because the GN doesn’t care though, more that they have no mechanism to enforce these rules and who in any community would be willing to take on such an unpopular and thankless task?
It is ironic that raw meat is permitted and boiled noodles are not when it’s pretty obvious where the most risk of danger lies.
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It is definitely the businesses who are calling up the GN to complain. They face inspections and fees and make it known. Inspectors would prefer to do nothing but a Minister getting a nasty email from a hotel is all it takes.
You saying that boiled noodles aren’t allowed, while lecturing someone on what is and what is not permitted — when in reality boiled noodles are, in fact, allowed. = Ironic / Now, if boiled noodles are not allowed, then my statement would be ironic. (Note, I am not sure, either way).
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A Paradox = something that seems like it should not be true, but is. Country food being exempt is a paradox. It’ not ironic because we know the exemption is embedded in the NLCA.
This is so ridiculous, what more can you do to be ridiculous? Who’s running the government? How did they get there? Who put them there? Why are you being stupid? What’s going on? I have so many insulting questions for you
Like they’ll enforce this but won’t enforce the extensive illegal draws and gambling that goes on on social media (even with the warnings they’ve posted)… GN get over yourself and stop throwing out these warnings with no way and no intention of enforcing them….
Communities don’t even enforce ATV/snow-machine rules and there are deaths every year; but how many have died cause of some food they bought from their neighbor… lol
Anyone who takes this serious is almost as dumb as the notice…
News flash they sell pops cigarettes gasoline online face etc. all taxable items on sell swap. Gonna put a stop to that too. Government too cheap to enforce atv/ vehicle acts. Embrassing that is why so many accidents and death.
This is way beyond ludicrous.
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There are over 1200 homeless people in Nunavut.
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Without a home it’s very difficult to prepare a meal.
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Without a home it’s very difficult to store food for the next day.
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Without a home your options for a meal are:
Go to a soup kitchen, if one is open in your community.
Buy and eat some junk food.
Eat at a restauraunt.
Buy a meal from someone, because they cannot afford to keep giving it away for free, and you want to eat every day.
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Where is the Minister of Family Services?
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That’s the Minister responsible for the Homeless.
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How did you let this get past you in Cabinet?
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Don’t tell us this was not approved by Cabinet.
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Nothing happens in Nunavut without Cabinet approval.
this!! made me laugh so hard it’s totally unbelievable where is our government getting there education seriously does our Nunavut Government going towards dictating Inuit? are we missing a big picture no bake goods in Nunavut but allow children to go to school something pretty wrong with this picture? anyone else notice it?
Take a few minutes and read the story (the second sentence specifically) and you will see that baked goods are in fact allowed.
Are the Ministers stuck on what to say or how to fix real problems in Nunavut that they have to come up with this?
Consumer Affair needs to step up and do their job in monitoring the media for unlicensed raffle, lottery going on.
What are they doing about the Article 23? When will that happen? another 20 years?
I wouldn’t worry about this too much, they haven’t really done anything they’ve said they do in the past, Like come on this has taken 20 years to reach it’s mandate.
They like to come up with useless rules so everyone can ignore and forget about the real issues in Nunavut and the GN.
Live up to your laws, home the homeless, feed those in need, get a facility in Nunavut to help those with addiction.
Hiding the real issues and throwing snowballs is useless, sounds like Trump nation!!!
if any of you actually read the press release, people are “advised” not to, not “ordered” not to. they are not told to stop selling cooked foods, they are advised to. learn how to read.
If you actually read and understand what is written….. residents preparing food for sale require a valid business licence ……
Can you read? Did you actually read the actual PSA from the GN?? that story only specifies the city of Iqaluit…..comprehension…read…..
Quote from the actual story. “The City of Iqaluit is reminding residents that selling prepared food requires a valid business licence.
“If a person is found to be operating a business in violation of Bylaw 859, they shall receive a written notice of their offence or offences and be given seven calendar days to take sufficient action to be in accordance with this bylaw,” said a city-issued news release.
“Failure to do so may result in a fine of $250 to $10,000, depending on the size of business and the number of offences in a calendar year.”
yup….read….
Yes advised. But Hamlet step in
Is social media in there deep interest?
Business? selling food in Facebook is not business just like selling other thing doesn’t mean we are running a business, if government want to see it as business than pay us like government own business.
That’s not how business works, you earn what the market is willing to pay, or how the market values your product, the government has nothing to do with it. Licensing is a way to ensure that businesses follow specific rules that are meant to protect the public.
Thank you for clarifying though but do we really need a licence to sell from Facebook?
Did my research and you can sell cottage food without a licence but need to follow safety rules to sell so homemade, baked food are legal to sell on Facebook and do not need a licence like i ask.
you only need licence if you are selling your food from market stalls and your council will need to be involve registering if you own a business
can NN please clarify where it states “Nunavut government wants cooks to stop offering homemade meals for sale”?
can you show us where the GN specifies that? Misleading heading perhaps?
im wondering if the NunatsiaqNews even read the communication…..
I am going to continue to buy healthy home cooked meals, can I send the bill to GN ?
This is a health and safety issue pure and simple. Homes are not commercial food establishments. They have neither the equipment nor the training to safely prepare, store and sell prepared foods. It is a minor miracle that there has not yet been a major outbreak of foodborne illness.