Food Safety + Why You Can Feel Confident Buying From My Microbakery

Operating a microbakery means baking from a home kitchen, but mine is run with the same standards of care, cleanliness, and consistency you’d expect from any professional food producer. Prairie Sourdough Co. follows Alberta Health Services guidelines for low-risk, home-produced foods, and everything I bake is handled with intention and strict attention to safety.

What “Low Risk” Means in Alberta

Alberta Health Services allows home-based food businesses to prepare and sell low-risk foods—products that are shelf-stable, non-perishable, and do not require refrigeration to remain safe. These are the same kinds of foods you already buy confidently at your favorite farmers markets across the province.

Common AHS-approved low-risk foods include:

• Breads (including sourdough)

• Buns, bagels, baguettes

• Cookies

• Muffins and loaf cakes

• Dry baking mixes

• Fruit pies (no dairy or custard)

• Granola and dry cereals

• Jams and jellies (with proper pH)

• Pickled vegetables (with correct acidity)

• Candies and confections

• Shelf-stable snacks

These are the exact types of foods sold by vendors at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, St. Albert Market, On-The-Edge Market, Bountiful Market and every other Alberta market you know and love.

A Clean, Controlled, Professional Kitchen

Here’s how my microbakery maintains safety and consistency:

Daily Cleaning and Sanitizing

All surfaces, tools, equipment, and utensils are cleaned and sanitized before and after baking. Cleanliness is non-negotiable.

No Pets in the Kitchen During Food Prep

Animals are kept out of the kitchen during all food preparation, shaping, baking, and packing times.

Strict Temperature Control

Sourdough is naturally low-risk due to its acidity, but I still monitor proper cooling, storage, and handling temperatures to maintain food safety.

Ingredient Transparency

Every loaf uses simple, recognizable ingredients—no preservatives, no unnecessary additives. If you ever want to know exactly what’s in your bread, just ask.

Separate Storage for Business Ingredients

Business ingredients, tools, packaging, and equipment are kept separate from day-to-day household items.

Single-Task Kitchen Environment

When I’m baking for customers, the kitchen is dedicated solely to PSCo. production—no other activities, distractions, or food prep happening at the same time.

Why You Can Feel Comfortable Buying From a Microbakery

Choosing a microbakery means your bread is:

• Made in small, intentional batches

• Controlled from start to finish by one baker

• Produced using AHS-approved low-risk methods

• Traceable, transparent, and consistently monitored

• Free from industrial additives or hidden ingredients

This is handcrafted bread with a clear commitment to safety and quality.

Local, Safe, and Made With Intention

The same category of low-risk foods sold at Alberta’s reputable farmers markets is exactly what Prairie Sourdough Co. offers—made with the same safety guidelines, the same care, and a whole lot more craftsmanship.

You get bread that’s made carefully, cleanly, and locally—and you can feel confident bringing it home to your family.