Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising

Section VI: Nutrient Content Claims
Section 6.2.5

6.2.5 Sodium (Salt) and Potassium

6.2.5.1 How to Declare Sodium and Potassium

Sodium and potassium follow the core list in the nutrition labelling format. A declaration of either sodium or potassium triggers a declaration of BOTH nutrients in mg/serving of stated size (B.01.302), and the quantities should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

6.2.5.2 Sodium and Potassium Claims

6.2.5.2.1 Salted

Where the term "salted" and similar claims indicating that salt has been added, such as "extra salt", and "salted peanuts" are used, a declaration of the sodium and potassium contents is not required.

Rationale: Although these are technically sodium claims, under section B.01.302, FDR. Although consumers are warned of the high sodium content of the food by the claim.

Reference to a "salty taste" is considered a taste claim and does not trigger sodium and potassium declarations.

6.2.5.2.2 No Salt Added, Unsalted (Amended 27/08/96)

The term "unsalted" or "no salt added" requires a declaration of the milligrams of sodium and potassium per serving (B.01.302, FDR). The terms may appear on foods which have no added salt (NaCl) or salts of sodium (e.g., sodium bicarbonate). The claim should not be made if any one ingredient contributes a significant amount of sodium to the food.

Rationale: The claim is a sodium claim under section B.01.302, FDR. Although technically salt is only sodium chloride, it is considered that the presence of other sodium-containing salts could be misleading, since consumers would not expect to find other significant sources of sodium in the food apart from that naturally occurring in the food.

Examples: "No salt added" on a cereal or tomato juice container would require a declaration of the amount of sodium and potassium occurring naturally in the cereal grains or tomato juice in mg/serving. Other examples include bread with no salt added, unsalted butter, unsalted crackers.

6.2.5.2.3 Less Salt, Lightly Salted

The term "less salt" or "lightly salted" requires the declaration of the milligrams of sodium and potassium per serving (B.01.302, FDR). They are comparative claims limited to foods which have a minimum reduction in sodium content of 25 percent and 100 mg per serving compared with the reference food. A statement of the amount of reduction should be grouped with the most prominent comparative salt claim (see Comparative Claims, Section 6.1.9 and Salted, Section 6.2.5.2.1).

Rationale: The terms imply that the food has less sodium than a similar food. As such, both are considered comparative sodium claims, falling under section B.01.302, FDR and Section 6.1.9 of this Guide.

Examples: "Lightly salted" chips would bear a statement such as "25% less salt than our regular chips".

6.2.5.3 Summary Table of Sodium (Salt) Claims

The following table provides a summary of the Regulations and guidelines pertaining to sodium (salt) claims (see also Sections 6.1, 6.3 and 6.4).

* When claims are made on a label unless otherwise specified, this information must appear on the label. For advertising claims, the required information must appear either in the advertisement or on the label.

6.2.5.4 Summary Table of Potassium Claims

The following table provides a summary of the Regulations and guidelines pertaining to potassium claims (see also Sections 6.1, 6.3 and 6.4):

* When claims are made on a label, unless otherwise specified, this information must appear on the label. For advertising claims, the required information must appear either in the advertisement or on the label.