The Farm Boy location situated at 2149 Yonge Street, near Eglinton Avenue, has been closed by the City of Toronto following the failure of a DineSafe inspection conducted on Monday. The closure stems from multiple violations that categorized the conditions of the establishment as hazardous for public health.
During the inspection, the City identified four infractions, which included two critical violations and one significant one. The critical infractions recorded were "food premise maintained in manner permitting health hazard (rodents)" and "fail to protect food from contamination or adulteration." Furthermore, the significant infraction was marked as "fail to protect against harbouring of pests." Such issues highlight serious concerns regarding food safety and sanitation practices at the grocery store.
This marks the first unsuccessful DineSafe inspection for the Farm Boy store in 2025. However, the establishment has had a troubled history regarding health inspections, with three previous conditional passes noted on May 23, April 3, and February 3 of the same year. These conditional passes indicate that while the store was allowed to operate, there were still outstanding health concerns that needed addressing. Prior to 2025, there is no available inspection data for this location.
Despite these recent issues, Farm Boy had a more favorable inspection result on July 7, when they passed with no infractions observed, giving hope that the establishment could maintain safe food handling practices. However, the latest inspection's findings have raised alarms for both the city and patrons relying on the grocery store for safe food purchasing options.
In response to the urgent health risks identified, Farm Boy's website indicates that the store will remain closed on both Monday and Tuesday, with plans to resume regular operating hours starting on Wednesday. The business is likely to undertake necessary measures to rectify the violations cited in the inspection to ensure compliance with health regulations before reopening.
At this juncture, CityNews has made attempts to reach out to Farm Boy to obtain their official response regarding the closure and the steps they intend to take in light of the inspection results. It remains imperative for food establishments like Farm Boy to uphold stringent health standards in order to protect consumer health and maintain public trust.
