Canadian Food Labeling



Canadian Food Labeling

Introduction

Canada's food supply is increasingly global in nature and many Canadians are seeking clearer information about the foods they buy. Recognizing this, the Government of Canada has taken action to improve the labelling information on food products and to help Canadians make better purchasing decisions.

Following the launch of the Healthy Canadians website on October 24th, 2007, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Canada's Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan on December 17th, 2007, with the goal of ensuring Canada's product safety standards are second to none.

As part of the Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan, the Government committed to reviewing the policy on the use of "Product of Canada" and "Made in Canada" claims on food labels and in advertising. Although Product of Canada and Made in Canada claims are not food safety issues, Canadians have indicated that this is an important matter to them.

On May 21, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled the new Canadian Food Labelling Initiative together with the Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. This initiative improves the definition of Product of Canada and Made in Canada on food labels and advertising, to ensure that Canadians can have greater certainty about the Canadian content of the food products they purchase.

Discussion

In January 2003 Health Canada published amendments to the Food and Drugs Act, expanding the nutrition information on pre-packaged foods sold at retail. Food manufacturers had until December 12, 2005 to include the new nutrition label on their products. However, it will take a few months for all products on shelves to reflect the new label. There are some minor exemptions from the labelling regulations, including single ingredient products such as fresh fruit and vegetables, and raw meat and poultry that are not ground. Small businesses with less than $1 million in sales have an extension until December 12, 2007. The regulations consist of three components-nutrition labelling, nutrient content claims and health claims.

FCPC supports providing clear, concise, accurate nutrition information to consumers to help them make more informed food choices. In fact, the food manufacturing industry has been voluntarily providing nutrition information on its packaged food products since the early 1980's. With the introduction of these regulations, manufacturers can now respond to consumer demands for more nutrition information and innovative products that will meet their dietary needs. And, with the introduction of health claims, manufacturers are able to educate consumers about the connection between food and disease reduction, particularly with the rise of chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, in North America.

Nutrition Labelling

According to the new regulations, manufacturers are required to provide Nutrition Facts information on all pre-packaged foods (with minor exceptions). The Nutrition Facts table has a standardized format that is consistent from product to product and includes a mandatory list of calories plus an expanded list of 13 core nutrients. The list includes: Calories, Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Cholesterol, Sodium, Carbohydrate, Protein, Fibre, Sugars, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and ...