Guides
What Does CFIA Require for Dough Formula Records in a Canadian Bakery?
CFIA dough formula record keeping means written formulas tied to lot codes, supplier names and production dates. Here is what Canadian bakeries must hold and show.
What to take away
- The CFIA expects a written formula for each dough you make, tied to the lot codes of the flour, yeast and other inputs used.
- Supplier names, addresses and lot or batch numbers must let an inspector trace one finished batch back to its ingredients, and forward to the buyer.
- Records are kept at least two years for food with a shelf life of 90 days or less, and at least three years for shelf-stable dough.
- Federally licensed bakeries also need a written preventive control plan (PCP) covering hazards, controls and monitoring.
- Labels must carry the common name, net quantity in metric, ingredient list, allergen statements, and the name and principal place of business of the responsible company.
- Missing records can trigger a recall order, a detention of product, or a licence suspension for a federally registered establishment.
- Records stay useful only if they are written the same day the dough is mixed, not reconstructed later.
Who has jurisdiction over a bakery in Canada
The CFIA enforces federal food safety and labelling law for food sold across provincial borders, imported, or exported. A bakery selling only inside one province falls mainly under that province's public health or agriculture ministry, though the federal Food and Drugs Act still applies to the food itself.
That split matters for dough. A wholesale dough producer that ships to another province, imports or exports is a federal player and needs a licence under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, the rules made under the Safe Food for Canadians Act. A neighbourhood shop selling loaves at the counter is usually provincial or municipal. The record content is similar either way, because provinces borrow heavily from federal expectations.
Health Canada sets the labelling rules and the permitted additive lists, and the CFIA enforces them at the point of sale. The labelling rules themselves sit in the Food and Drug Regulations and in the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and its regulations, with the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations adding requirements for certain foods. Dough conditioners, emulsifiers and oxidants must appear on the permitted lists before they go into a formula.
What a dough formula record must contain
A formula record is more than a recipe card. It should let a stranger reproduce the batch and trace every input. The minimum set is short enough to keep on one page per dough.
Dough Formula Record Fields
- Formula identity and version
- Ingredients by weight and baker's percentage
- Supplier lot codes for each input
- Supplier business name and contact
- Production logdate, batch, operator, temperature
- Distribution record with invoice number
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Formula identity and version | Dough name, version number, date of the current version |
| Ingredients by weight | Each ingredient in grams or kilograms, with baker's percentage alongside |
| Lot codes | Supplier lot or batch number for flour, yeast, salt, fats, conditioners |
| Supplier details | Business name, address, and a contact for each input |
| Production log | Date, batch size, mixer, operator initials, dough temperature |
| Distribution | Where the batch went, with date and invoice or order number |
Baker's percentage is the standard way to scale a formula and to price it, and it belongs in the record because it shows the intended ratio rather than one day's batch size. A short explainer on why bakeries still use baker's percentage for dough costing covers the arithmetic if your team is new to it.
Labelling requirements that ride on the formula
The label is the public face of the record. The Food and Drug Regulations require an ingredient list in descending order by weight and allergen declarations for the priority allergens, including wheat and any added milk, egg, soy or sesame. The Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations require the common name, the net quantity in metric units, and the name and principal place of business of the company responsible for the food.
Bilingual labelling is required for most prepackaged foods sold in Canada, so English and French both appear. The name and principal place of business of the company responsible for the food must be on the label. Frozen dough sold to consumers needs storage and preparation instructions that match the formula's intended use.
If your dough is sold as a finished baked good, the same label rules apply to the baked item. The Canadian food labelling rules set out the bilingual and ingredient declaration requirements in more detail.
Records to keep, and for how long
The Safe Food for Canadians Regulations require traceability records for food you manufacture, process, treat, preserve, grade, package or label. For most dough producers that means keeping records for at least two years for food with a shelf life of 90 days or less, and longer for shelf-stable products.
Retention is fixed by the same regulations: at least two years for food with a shelf life of 90 days or less, and at least three years for food with a shelf life longer than 90 days.
A working checklist for a dough operation:
- Receiving recordssupplier name, address and telephone number, the lot or batch code, the date received, and the quantity of each input.
- Production recordsthe date mixed, the formula name and version, the lot code of the finished dough, and the lot codes of every input that went into it.
- Distribution recordsthe name, address and telephone number of each buyer, the date shipped, and the quantity.
- The link between a finished lot code and the formula version used, so an inspector can walk from a customer's package back to a flour lot.
- The ability to produce those records within 24 hours of a written request from the CFIA.
Dough Record Retention Checklist
- Current written formula, version dated
- Supplier lot codes matched to batch
- Production log with operator and temperature
- Distribution record linking batch to buyer
- Recall procedure naming who calls whom
Two years is the common floor, not a ceiling. Dough with a shelf life longer than 90 days must be kept for three years, and a provincial inspector may ask for a different period. Keep the records where staff can find them during an inspection, not in a folder on someone's phone.
A traceability record is only as good as the day it was written. Reconstructed logs fail the first cross-check against supplier invoices.
What happens if you skip it
Non-compliance has a concrete cost. The CFIA can detain or seize product, order a recall, and suspend or cancel a Safe Food for Canadians licence. A recall means paying to notify buyers, recover product and dispose of it, plus the lost sales while the line is down.
Non-compliance has a concrete cost. A single recall can run into thousands of dollars in recovered product, freight and staff time before any penalty is added. On top of that, the CFIA can issue a notice of violation with an administrative monetary penalty under the Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Act, and the amount depends on whether the violation is treated as minor, serious or very serious.
Provincial inspectors can order a closure or a stop-sale on the affected product. That is the practical risk: not a fine you can absorb, but a shelf that goes empty while the paperwork is sorted out.
