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INFORMATION BULLETIN: Nutrition Labelling Regulations and Foods Sold in Restaurants and Food Service Establishments

Amended Nutrition Labelling Regulations

On January 1, 2003, amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) were published in relation to nutrition labelling regulations. These regulations also outline the conditions for nutrient content c laims and diet-related health claims. These regulations come into full effect on December 12, 2005 for most companies, or December 12, 2007 for companies with less than $ 1 million in gross revenues from the sale of food in Canada for the period of December 12, 2001-December 11, 2002.

This Information Bulletin will discuss the impact of these regulations specifically for providing nutrition information in the restaurant and food service sectors. More detailed information on the new requirements can be found in Chapters 5 and 6 of the 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising. A separate Information Bulletin addresses nutrient content claims.

Nutrition Labelling

The amended regulations make nutrition labelling mandatory for most prepackaged foods sold in Canada. These foods must show a Nutrition Facts Table (NFT) when sold to consumers. In general, most foods sold in restaurants and food service establishments are not considered to be prepackaged and are thus exempt from showing a NFT. As well, foods ordered for take-out and delivery are also generally considered to be exempt from showing a NFT. The following section outlines requirements for some prepackaged products.

Prepackaged Foods Requiring a Nutrition Facts Table [B.01.401, FDR]

• Prepackaged foods purchased from suppliers that are resold to consumers generally must also show a NFT. Examples include: cans of soda, cartons of milk, containers of yogourt, packages of breakfast cereal, granola bars, packages of cookies, and bags of chips, etc.
• Specialty prepackaged foods sold by restaurants for customers to take home such as house barbecue sauces or salad dressings (unless prepared and packaged on site).

The nutrition labelling requirements for these products are further detailed in the 2003 Guide.

Prepackaged Foods Exempt from a Nutrition Facts Table [B.01.401(2)( c), FDR]

• Prepackaged individual portions of food that are intended to be served by a restaurant or other commercial enterprise with meals or snacks. Examples include: packages of crackers, creamers, sugar packets, jam or jelly packages, butter and margarine packages, etc.

Voluntary Provision of Nutrition Information

Although there are no requirements to provide a NFT for most restaurant and food service foods, many establishments wish to provide this information on a voluntary basis. When companies show the nutrition information for these foods, companies are strongly encouraged to show the same information that is provided in the NFT, which includes: energy value in Calories, along with fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, sugar, fibre, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. The format requirements for prepackaged foods do not apply to restaurant foods, so an alternate way of presenting the information is acceptable, such as the use of a table or chart, tray liners, menu boards, posters, leaflets or brochures available to consumers. The “Nutrition Facts” heading is an acceptable title for showing this information.

When showing the amount of a nutrient, the regulations set out how these statements can be made, including which units can be used. (B.01.301, FDR) Nutrient values declared must be accurate and not false or misleading.

Note that when showing how much of a nutrient is present in a food, you must show how much of the nutrient is present per serving of stated size. In most cases for restaurant foods, this means the information must be shown per portion served to the consumer.

* The Daily Value for these nutrients is based on the reference standards set out in section B.01.001.1, FDR.

For instance:

• 5 g of fat per mandarin chicken salad plate
• 2 g fibre per bran muffin
• 100 % DV vitamin C per 200 ml apple juice

Nutrient Content Claims and Diet-Related Health Claims

When nutrient content claims, such as “low fat” or “source of fibre” or diet-related health claims are made for foods in restaurants and food service establishments that are not prepackaged, these trigger the mandatory declaration of the nutrient that is the subject of the claim. See the Information Letter on Restaurant Nutrient Content Claims for detailed information.

For more information, the requirements for nutrition labelling in restaurants and in the food service sector can be found in the 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising available on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency web site.