Self-attestation. Allergens enforced. Home cook badge, always visible.
eatcircle is a marketplace for home-cooked pickup meals. We are not a restaurant chain and we don't inspect kitchens. This page explains exactly how food safety works on eatcircle, the choices we made, and the trade-offs you should know about as a Buyer or Cook.
Four principles.
The same answer for everyone — we don't run two food safety regimes for two tiers of Cooks.
Cooks self-attest at signup
Every Cook must agree to follow their local public health guidelines (Region of Peel for Ontario v1) and to handle food safely in a clean, household kitchen with proper storage practices. eatcircle does not inspect kitchens.
Buyers see the 'home cook' badge prominently
On every cook profile, every dish detail, every order receipt. Buyers know what they're choosing — this is a neighbor's kitchen, not a licensed restaurant.
All 11 Health Canada priority allergens — required, not optional
Every dish must declare all 11 Health Canada priority allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, gluten/wheat, soy, shellfish, fish, sesame, mustard, sulphites) with one of three values: 'Contains', 'May contain', or 'None'. Buyers see colour-coded badges on the dish detail. No allergen data = dish stays hidden.
Food Handler Certificate — opt-in badge
Cooks who hold a current food handler certificate can upload it for an admin-reviewed badge on their profile. Region of Peel offers a free online course. This is opt-in for v1; we'll re-evaluate requirements based on incident data.
Reporting + moderation flow.
Every order has a Report button. Severity-graded auto-actions, then human review.
- 1
Buyer submits a food safety incident report
On any past order, 'Report a food safety concern' opens a structured form: category (foodborne illness, allergic reaction, foreign object, spoilage, other), severity (mild / moderate / hospitalization), whether medical attention was sought, and a description. Reports are timestamped and linked to the specific order and cook.
- 2
Kitchen auto-paused immediately
On submission, the cook's active listings pause automatically and pending orders cancel (with refunds). The cook receives an FCM notification within seconds. No manual step required — the kitchen is paused before our moderation team even reads the report.
- 3
Admin moderation reviews + decides
Our team reviews the incident within 24 hours. Outcomes: no action (unfounded), cook reinstated with warning, suspended pending investigation, terminated for egregious violations. Refunds are processed during review. Escalation paths exist for insurance or public health authorities.
- 4
Cook is notified at each stage
The cook receives in-app notifications at each status change: paused, reinstated, or suspended. We contact both parties privately — aggregated (anonymized) incident counts are published quarterly for platform transparency.
Region of Peel — public health resources for home cooks.
Region of Peel runs the public health office for Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon. They publish free home food preparation guidelines and run a free online food handler certification course.
Hard questions, direct answers.
The honest version of every question we get about food safety on eatcircle.
Why don't you inspect kitchens?▾
Inspection at scale would either price out home cooks (passing the cost on) or be theatre (a clipboard tour twice a year). The honest answer: 'we inspected this kitchen' creates a false sense of security. Buyers know they're choosing a home cook — that's the explicit positioning. The friction we add (allergen requirements, food handler badge incentives, Region of Peel resource links, transparent moderation) is intentional and we keep it.
What about eatcircle's legal exposure?▾
Per our Terms of Service: eatcircle is a marketplace, not the merchant of record for food sales. The Cook is responsible for compliance with their local public health rules, taxes, and any food-safety incident. Buyers acknowledge this at order checkout. Read the Terms for the full marketplace disclaimer.
What if I have a serious food safety incident?▾
Report it on the order. Tag it 'food safety' or 'allergen reaction.' We auto-pause the Cook's listings within minutes pending review, and we contact you and the Cook the same day. Refund issued at our discretion (we mediate in good faith). For medical emergencies: eatcircle is not a substitute for 911 or your provincial health line — call them first, then report.
Do you require food handler certificates?▾
Phase 37: opt-in. Cooks who upload a current food handler certificate (admin-reviewed) get a badge on their profile. Region of Peel offers a free online course — we link it at every signup. We don't gate listings on it in v1 because the bar to start cooking shouldn't be a 4-hour exam, but we'll re-evaluate based on incident data and may require it for new cooks in a future phase.
Are home kitchens legal in Ontario for selling food?▾
Yes, with conditions. Ontario doesn't require a commercial kitchen license for home-based pickup operations under current regulations, but municipalities (Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, etc.) each have local rules. Cooks are responsible for following them — we surface the Region of Peel resources at signup. If you're a Cook unsure of your local rules, the Region of Peel Public Health line will tell you for free: 905-799-7700.
Questions or concerns?
Email info@eatcircle.com. A founder reads it. If you'd rather report a specific order, open it in the app and tap Report — that routes through the moderation queue.
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