Market FAQs and Vendor Resources

Providing answers to some common vendor questions
and access to key resources.

Civic Square Plaza

2007 19 Street (Beside the Library)

Every other Thursday
June 25, 2026 - September 17, 2026 | 3 PM - 8 PM

We are committed to supporting our vendors every step of the way. This page brings together frequently asked questions and essential resources to help you prepare for market days, understand requirements, and make the most of your experience.

1. Who can participate in a the Coaldale Chamber of Commerce Farmers’ Market?
  • Approved product vendors selling their goods.
  • Approved service type vendors (face painters, balloon makers, etc.)
  • Approved third party vendors (Avon, Tupperware)
  • Approved non-profit organizations (clubs, scouts, sport teams, etc.)
  • Tables and Chairs
  • Pop-up tent
  • Table cloths
  • A letter sized paper which prominently displays your booth/business name, your first and last name, contact info such as phone number and/or email. (Collect these when you attend the market from the Market Manager)
  • Certificates (when applicable)
  • Marketing Materials
  • Cleaning supplies (Towels, paper towels, sanitizers)
  • Payment methods (Cash box, online payment systems)
  • Pen and Paper
  • Yes
  • Whole Fruits and vegetables
  • Jam and Jellies
  • Baked goods or dry baking mixes.
  • Candies, toffees, brittles,
  • Pickled products
  • Prepacked Food with proper nutritional labeling.
  • Plant goods, cut flowers, nursery stock, potted herbs, seeds
  • Textiles: Must be labelled appropriately.
  • Handmade crafts or products (Jewellery, candles, etc)
  • No
  • Home Canned Items (except jams, jellies or pickled products)
  • Salsa
  • Open bowls of chips, pretzels or crackers
  • Hot foods (unless dispensed by a vendor truck)
  • Sprouts
  • Cannabis products
  • Maybe

If you meet the requirements

  • Farm fresh eggs
  • Cosmetic products (lip balm, lotions, soaps)
  • Meat products
  • Dairy products or by-products
  • Craft beer, wine, or spirits

Shelf stable foods (foods not requiring refrigeration) that are processed with salt, sugar, and/or vinegar. For example, pickled cucumbers, pickled beets, horseradish, etc.. To be considered shelf stable, one of the following criteria must be met:

  • a pH less than 4.6
  • less than 0.85 water activity
  • more than 10% salt
  • more than 55% sugar

Foods such as antipasto, sauces, jerky, fermented foods, low sugar spreads, or certain baked goods should be treated as high risk unless testing has demonstrated otherwise.

Testing identifies if the food is perishable, i.e., become unsafe to eat if not stored properly.

  • Low risk foods must have a pH of 4.6 or lower or a water activity of 0.85 or lower.
  • High risk foods may still be sold without testing provided they are kept at 4° C or cooler.

The simple answer is maybe – if you meet the requirements.

Cosmetics

  • Under the Food and Drugs Act, a cosmetic includes “any substance or mixture of substances, manufactured, sold or represented for use in cleansing, improving or altering the complexion, skin, hair or teeth and includes deodorants and perfumes.” This includes “handmade” cosmetics sold at farmers’ markets or craft sales, e.g., face creams, lip balms, deodorants, perfumes, etc.
  • All cosmetics sold in Canada must be safe to use and must not pose a health risk. They must meet the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and Cosmetic Regulations. The manufacturer and importer must notify Health Canada within 10 days of the first sale of the product in Canada that it is selling the product and provide a list of the product’s ingredients. Vendors must complete the Cosmetic Notification Form found on Health Canada’s website. There is no charge to register the cosmetic “recipe” with the federal government but it is required to ensure that all ingredients and their quantities within the product are safe for customers.
    • Please be advised that this process may take some time, so do plan accordingly. 
    • All Cosmetic products must approved prior to vending at the Coaldale Farmers’ Market
      • CNF submission confirmation or Cosmetic Number
      • ingredient list using INCI names
      • label photos
      • any applicable NPN if therapeutic claims are mader
  • The labelling of cosmetics is governed by two Acts and their associated Regulations:

Manufacturers and importers should review and understand the Acts and Regulations to ensure that they comply with all requirements.

Requirements for cosmetic labels:

  • The list of ingredients in INCI format (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients)
  • the common name of the product (for example hairspray)
  • the amount of product in metric units or count (for example, 2 bars or 55 mL)
  • name and address of the manufacturer, and
  • warning and cautions
  • directions for safe use of the product

Refer to the Industry Guide for the labelling of cosmetics.

Therapeutic claims are not permitted for cosmetics. If such claims are made, the product may be reclassified as a Natural Health Product. (See FAQ #6 of this website) Manufacturers and importers must submit a Cosmetic Notification Form within 10 days of first sale.

The simple answer is maybe – if you meet the requirements.

Steps to Obtain a Natural Product Number (NPN)

  1. Determine if your product is an NHP

Review your product ingredients and any claims you make on:

    • Labels
    • Packaging
    • Social media
    • Websites
    • Advertising

If you make therapeutic or health claims, your product may require an NPN.

  1. Prepare your product information

Gather:

    • Product name
    • Medicinal ingredients
    • Non-medicinal ingredients
    • Directions for use
    • Warnings or cautions
    • Label information
  1. Create a Health Canada account

Register through the Health Canada online application system.

  1. Submit an application to Health Canada

Apply for a product licence through the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD).

  1. Wait for review

Health Canada reviews your application and may request additional information.

  1. Receive your NPN

If approved, Health Canada will issue an 8-digit Natural Product Number (NPN). This number must appear on your product label before sale.

Helpful Resources

 

The simple answer is yes, but there are very specific conditions that must be met if claims to being Gluten Free are being made about an agifood product.

  • Ensure that your claim still must be supported and and not misleading.
  • If you’re using a shared kitchen or making gluten-free and gluten-containing products in the same space, document your segregation and cleaning plan carefully.
  • Suppliers: since you might be sourcing ingredients in smaller quantities, ensure that the suppliers provide gluten-free assurances (certificate of analysis, supplier declaration) or that you test if necessary.
  • Keep the claim language simple and clear. For example: “Gluten-Free” on the package/label. If you want to add qualifying statements (e.g., “made in a facility that also processes wheat”), be cautious — these may affect consumer perception and regulatory acceptance.
  • If you use specially produced gluten-free oats, ensure you label them as such and meet the criteria (<20 ppm from wheat/rye/barley contamination). Canada.ca
  • Monitor any changes to regulation or enforcement guidance. The CFIA regularly publishes compliance guidelines. For example, one update notes that products labelled gluten‐free with less than 20 ppm gluten from cross-contamination will not automatically be recalled.

The simple answer is maybe – if you meet the requirements.

Vendors selling their products as organic must be certified as organic according to the Canadian Organic Standards to make this claim or be subject to investigation and potential punitive action.

  • Allergen statements: Contains:(Item 1, Item 2, Item 2)
    Tree nuts: Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine  nuts, pistachios, walnuts. Peanuts. Sesame Seeds. Eggs, Soybeans. Fish (name of species). Sulphites. Crustaceans and molluscs. Mustard.
  • Gluten proteins: Wheat, Barely, Rye, Oats, Tritical.

The simple answer is maybe – if you meet the requirements.

  • If a vendor wants to sell dairy products (milk, cream, cheese, yogurt, etc.) at the farmers’ market, it is important to note that the vendor must have met specific requirements before allowing the sale of the product. The vendor must be able to provide proof of pasteurization. Vendors will need to produce their food permit issued by Alberta Health Services at time of vendor application and should display their food permit issued by Alberta Health Services at every market.
  • It is unlawful to sell or give away unpasteurized milk or milk products anywhere in Canada.
  • Exception: Cheese made from unpasteurized milk can be sold at Alberta approved farmers’ markets provided the cheese has been made in a commercial facility that has met all the federal regulatory requirements.Enforcement Agencies: Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, Alberta Health Services.

The simple answer is maybe – if you meet the requirements.

Uninspected, ungraded whole eggs can be sold directly to end consumers for their own personal use provided that:

  • The eggs are produced on the producer’s own farm. (It is illegal for vendors to sell uninspected and ungraded eggs produced on someone else’s farm.)
  • The eggs are clean, have no visible cracks and are not leaking.
  • The eggs are kept at an ambient temperature of 7° C or less.
  • Unrefrigerated eggs must not be sitting on a vendor’s table because the ambient air temperature is too warm. They must be held in a cooler that can maintain the proper temperatures. Vendors can display an empty carton to attract customers’ attention. Eggs in an open refrigeration unit can be displayed provided the air temperature around the eggs is less than 7° C.
  • The eggs are packed in clean containers that are conspicuously labelled with the word “UNINSPECTED” in letters that are at least two centimetres high.
  • If uninspected eggs are being sold in recycled cartons the grade must be covered up.

NOTE: It is illegal for vendors to use uninspected and ungraded eggs in their baking, pickling or other food products destined for sale.

The simple answer is yes – if you meet the requirements.

  • Producers can sell their ungraded honey from their farm or at a farmers’ market directly to end consumers for their own personal use.
  • All beekeepers must register with the Office of the Provincial Apiculturist and produce this certificate when selling honey at a Farmers’ Market.

The simple answer is yes  – if you meet the requirements.

  • Authentic Taber corn will have a certificate listing the farm’s name and the phone number. This certificate must be produced at the time of vendor application and be displayed at the market.

Simple answer is maybe – if you meet the requirements.

  • Any meat such as beef, pork, lamb, bison, or poultry being offered for sale in Alberta must be government-inspected and approved fit for human consumption.
  • Meat or meat products from wild game cannot be sold. It is for personal use only.
  • The Food Regulation requires that food products sold in retail or in food establishments have been subject to appropriate inspection. To achieve this requirement, meat offered for sale within Alberta must have been inspected ante- and post-mortem to ensure it’s fit for human consumption:
    • Provincial inspection requirements are found in the Meat Inspection Act:
      • acceptable for meat processed and sold within Alberta only (intra-provincially).
    • Federal inspection requirements are found in the Safe Food for Canadians Act:
      • acceptable for meat processed and sold inter-provincially.
  • The market manager should ask for proof of inspected slaughter before accepting a vendor selling meat
    • Enforcement Agency: Federal meat inspection: Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Provincial meat inspection: Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation.

The simple answer is yes – if you meet the requirements.

  • Small manufacturers of wine, beer and spirits are allowed to sell at approved farmers’ markets through the provincial Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation. These businesses are licensed as Class E Small Manufacturers through Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) and are permitted to sell at approved farmers’ markets as an extension of their license. This license must be included at time of vendor application and must be posted at the market.
  • Sampling of beer, wine and spirits is allowed at the markets but must follow the guidelines stipulated by the AGLC in the Liquor Manufacturers Handbook.
  • Anyone selling or sampling alcohol must have completed Pro Serve training.

  • For frozen food: it must remain frozen during storage, display, and transportation.
  • For previously frozen products sold at the market, market‐rules require that the original date of freezing be labelled. For example: “Previously frozen product: 01/01/2026.”
More questions? EMAIL US
Call 403-345-2358

Clear, accurate product labeling is an important requirement for participating in the Coaldale Chamber Food Market. To support you, we’ve provided a downloadable Word document template that you may use for your products. You are also welcome to create your own labels; however, all labels must include the required information outlined.

Blank printable labels can be purchased from a variety of retailers. The downloadable template is formatted to fit Avery 5262 labels for easy printing.

Labelling your food products

  • Product Name
  • Business or vendor name, contact name, contact phone number.
  • Prepared by date and/or original freeze date.
  • Ingredient list
  • Allergy containment statements as necessary.
  • Statement must be included: Prepared in a home kitchen that is not subject to inspection. Not for resale.
Download Food Label

Labelling your textiles products

  • Product Name
  • Business or vendor name, contact name, contact phone number.
  • Fiber content
  • Care instruction
Download Textile Label
Farmers' Market Logo@2x
Chamber Logo@4x

Support initiatives such as this and
become a Chamber Member!

CHAMBER WEBSITE