GOODFOOD LICENCE SUSPENDED – What You Need to Know?

In one of the biggest events in the food and meal-kit delivery industry Canada, the news about the goodfood licence suspension came as an eye-opener to both consumers and investors alike early in January 2026. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has said that it has revoked the Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence of Goodfood Market Corp., a meal-kit and grocery delivery service based in Montreal.

This move has spread through the social media, financial markets and the consumer forums, posing questions on the food safety, regulatory standards and future of one of the most recognized good food brands in Canada.

Table of Contents

1. Who Is Goodfood?
2. The CFIA: Canada’s Food Safety Authority
3. Why Was Goodfood’s Licence Suspended?
4. What Is the Safe Food for Canadians Licence?
5. Official CFIA Statement and Legal Basis
6. Goodfood’s Response
7. Impact on Customers
8. Business and Market Reaction
9. Historical Context: Goodfood’s Performance
10. What Happens Next?
11. Why Licence Suspensions Matter
12. CFIA Rules and Enforcement
13. Lessons from this Suspension for Food Companies
14. FAQs
15. Conclusion

Who Is Goodfood?

Goodfood Market Corp. also commonly referred to as Goodfood is a major meal-kit and fresh food delivery enterprise in Canada. Goodfood was established in 2014, in Montreal, and soon became a breakthrough in delivering people good, locally sourced, and fresh ingredients in the comfort of their homes, making it a lot easier to cook good food. Its business framework was so potent at the pandemic boom and the emergence of home meal delivery.

Goodfood was valued at over $1 billion at its highest valuation, and was regarded as one of the best meal-kit startups in Canada.

Nevertheless, the company has experienced decelerating growth and executive turnover in recent years, and customer criticism, which explains why the announcement of the goodfood licence suspension is even more effective.

The CFIA: Canada’s Food Safety Authority

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is the government body in charge of Canadian food safety protection and the enforcement of the compliance with the regulations of the Food Safety Act of Canada (Safe Food for Canadians Act) 1985. Any food company that produces, packages, imports or distributes food across provincial and territorial boundaries in Canada is required to be licensed by CFIA.

Any suspension of a licence means that the company is not legally entitled to conduct any of the operations that are subject to the licence, which is a significant issue to any food operator.

Why Was Goodfood’s Licence Suspended?

The CFIA used the fact that Part 4 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) was not followed as the basis of the suspension of the licence. This part of the rules deals with preventive controls – systems that businesses should implement to deal with the risks to food safety.

By the official records:

• Goodfood had not adhered to the preventive control requirements of the SFCR.
• Although the licence was suspended due to no food recalls, the company cannot conduct the licensed activities at its plant in Montreal until the problems are sorted.
• The remedial steps have to be implemented within 90 days or the licence will be cancelled.

What Is the Safe Food for Canadians Licence?

The licence is one of the requirements where a company producing, processing, packaging, importing or distributing food across the Canadian boundaries is required to have a licence known as a Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence. The licence is used to provide compliance with:

• Safe food in Canada act.
• The Regulations of the Safe Food to Canadians.
• The Food and Drugs Act

There are strict documentation, monitoring and reporting processes that companies should put in place strong preventive controls. Any of these obligations may give rise to enforcement measures – such as suspension of licences.

Official CFIA Statement and Legal Basis

The public enforcement notice of CFIA affirmed the suspension of a licence:

• On December 30, 2025, its Saint-Laurent, Quebec plant, CFIA suspended the SFC licence of Goodfood.
• The suspension was carried out pursuant to article 35(1)(a) of the SFCR.
• The agency explained that it was not because the agency thought posed a threat to the people and no recall was in progress.

According to the Canadian law, licences can be suspended due to such reasons as:

• Violation of food safety.
• Lack of paying due licensing fees.
• Cases potentially endangering health of the people.

Goodfood’s Response

Goodfood released a statement that it was disappointed with the suspension of the licence, stating that:

• The Montreal facility has no food safety problems.
• The suspension is primarily procedural in nature, i.e., checking customer complaints and documentation controls.
• The company is optimistic that the problem will be corrected within the shortest time possible and has sought the decision to be revisited.

In spite of the suspension, Goodfood announced that:

• Its Calgary plant is still in the full swing.
• The customer deliveries in the rest of Canada will remain with few exceptions.

Impact on Customers

In the case of Goodfood customers, the temporary suspension of the licence was a cause of concern:

Service Continuity

• Still deliveries were being made through the Calgary plant of Goodfood.
• Minimal effects on the orders were to be expected but there might be exceptions or maximum delays.

Customer Trust

Numerous consumers responded intensely on the internet, doubting the quality of the products, previous delivery experience, and whether Goodfood had more than compliance problems. Customers via social sites have reported having problems in the form of late delivery, spoilt ingredients, and poor cancellation.

Perception vs Reality

Even though CFIA plainly clarified that the brand reputation was not violated since the safety of food was not jeopardized, the news posed brand image risks because people identified the licence-related problem with quality.

Business and Market Reaction

Other than customers, the goodfood licence suspended announcement caused shockwaves in the financial and business circles:

Stock Impact

The stock of Goodfood has declined drastically after reaching the high. The valuation of the company has significantly dropped after being valued over one billion dollars at the height of the pandemic surge.

Industry Commentary

According to the industry commentators, this suspension is a serious challenge to the governance of Goodfood, culture of compliance and its ability to handle its operations. Other analysts view this as a short term problem but some of them may emerge as a long term setback to the growth prospects.

Historical Context: Goodfood’s Performance

A background might be understood to put the current day suspension into perspective:

• Goodfood was start-up in 2014 and grew to national scale.
• The growth due to the pandemic resulted in a booming demand in the meal-kit services.
• In 2017, Goodfood became public with a raising of 21 million.
• As of 2020, it had a market valuation of more than one billion.
• The company has since experienced growing competition, declining revenues and changes in the leadership within the company.

Goodfood recorded a volatile net sales, declining number of customers, and staff turnover in 2025. This suspend situation of goodfood licence can be partly due to the operational strains that come with the challenges.

What Happens Next?

Following the suspension of the licence:

Correction and Review

Goodfood is given 90 days to address the concerns of CFIA. The licence will be reinstated in case it is addressed appropriately.

Possible Cancellation

A worst-case scenario would be permanently canceling the licence of Goodfood due to missing the deadline of meeting corrective measures, which will affect the operations of the company in Canada.

CFIA Enforcement Transparency

CFIA also regularly issues enforcement activities, making them transparent and accountable in the food industry – and the suspension of Goodfood licence is included in the records of public regulations.

Why Licence Suspensions Matter?

Suspensions of licences are not frequent– and they are grave in view of the reason:

• They interfere with the interprovincial food distribution activities.
• They are able to undermine consumer confidence although there is no safety loss.
• They mirror the enforcement of regulations in practice and make the companies responsible.

In the case of food companies, there is the suspension of documentation, preventive controls, and compliance culture.

CFIA Rules and Enforcement

The mandate of the CFIA is to secure the population and cover the rules of food regulation. Key elements include:

• Preventive Controls (Part 4 SFCR): Food contamination preventing systems.
• Risk-based Inspections: CFIA inspects plant and implements remedial measures.
• Measures of Enforcement: Warnings, penalties and licence suspension or cancellations.

Lessons from this Suspension for Food Companies

Lessons can be learnt via the goodfood licence suspended case:

Preventive Measures Matter
The food companies need to invest in procedural conformity, and not merely on the quality of products.

Documentation Is Critical
CFIA examines records, conducts audits of preventive controls and searches traceable systems.

Customer Complaints Must Be Logged and Addressed
Even procedural oversights can cause regulatory action.

Transparent Communication Helps
Clear message to the people should be used when dealing with customer confidence in implementation matters.

FAQs

Q: Is Goodfood unsafe to eat?
A: No. The CFIA attested that there was no recall and no health hazard of the population. The suspension is as a result of compliance procedures.

Q: Will customers stop getting food?
A: Majority of the deliveries shall still be made especially via other facilities.

Q: Can the licence be permanently cancelled?
A: Yes – in the event that Goodfood does not respond to the issues within 90 days.

Q: What should customers do?
A: Check the status of delivery and Goodfood news, and get in touch with the customer service.

Conclusion

The story of the suspension of the goodfood licence is a critical incident to Goodfood, the meal-kit delivery pioneer which used to fly high in Canada. Although the focus is not on food safety, compliance with the regulations in the form of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations is on the procedural aspect, and compliance is not a bargaining matter when it comes to the food industry.

This episode acts as a lesson to Goodfood as it tries to address the issues raised by CFIA since any food company that operates in the industry should have strong preventive measures, records, and open operations, which will ensure that the consumers are not endangered by the foods and that the company stores its image.