Packaged Food Products, Beverages And Confectionery
Health Canada is responsible, under the Food and Drugs Act, for the establishment of policies and standards relating to the health, safety, and nutritional quality of food sold in Canada.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for the administration of food labelling policies related to misrepresentation and fraud in respect to food labelling, packaging and advertising (FDA).
In addition, the CFIA has responsibility for the administration of the food-related provisions of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (CPLA), including basic food label information, net quantity, metrication and bilingual labelling.
The CFIA is responsible for the enforcement of all of the above requirements.
Food labels represent an important, direct means of promoting a product and communicating information about that product from seller to buyer. It is one of the primary means by which consumers differentiate between individual foods and brands to make informed purchasing choices.
A label serves three primary functions:
- 1. It provides basic product information including: common name; list of ingredients; net quantity; durable life date; name and address of manufacturer, dealer or importer; and in some cases, grade/quality and country of origin.
- 2. It provides health, safety, and nutrition information including: allergen information; nutrition information such as the quantity of fats, proteins, carbohydrates; vitamins and minerals present per serving of stated size of the food (in the Nutrition Facts table); specific information on products for special dietary use; and instructions for safe storage and handling.
- 3. It acts as a vehicle for food marketing, promotion and advertising via: label vignettes, promotional information and label claims such as low fat, cholesterol-free, high source of fibre, product of Canada, natural, organic, no preservatives added, and so on.
We can help you!
Our experienced Regulatory specialists will help you to ensure that your food labels meet with Health Canada’s new labelling regulations by:
- Creating a Nutrition Facts Table that is compliant with the updated format.
- Completing a Gap Analysis to determine what is required to convert your old label to the new label format.
- Calculating Nutrient values for Per Serving and Per 100g for NFT.
- Determining correct serving size based on updated reference amounts established by Health Canada
Canada Food Inspection Agency:
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/eng/1299092387033/1299093490225