 |
 |
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
|
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Section VI: Nutrient Content Claims
|
| Sections 6.1 to 6.1.9 | Sections 6.1.10 to 6.1.11.3 | Section 6.2.1
| Section 6.2.2 | Section 6.2.3 Section 6.2.4 | Section 6.2.5 | Section 6.2.6 | Section 6.3 | Section 6.4 | Annexes 1 - 3 |
The energy value of foods should be calculated by the Atwater method, using specific factors from the latest revisions of USDA Agriculture Handbook No. 8: Composition of Foods (1984). Details of their derivation are outlined in A.L. Merrill and B.K. Watt, Energy Value of Foods - Basis and Derivation USDA Handbook 74 (1955). The following average factors may be used in place of the specific factors provided that the energy values are in reasonable agreement with the more accurate values determined according to Merrill and Watt:
Average Energy Content of Nutrients
| protein fat carbohydrate* alcohol |
4 9 4 7 |
17 37 17 29 |
* The energy value for the carbohydrate content may be less than 4 Cal/g if the carbohydrate includes sugar alcohols, polydextrose and/or dietary fibre (see Sections 6.4.1.3 to 6.4.1.5).
To convert Calories to kilojoules use the following formula:
1 Calorie = 4.184 kilojoules
Example 1: Calculating the energy content of 250 ml of cooked oatmeal using specific energy factors:
| Nutrient | Amount in g | Specific Energy Factors for Oatmeal Cal/g |
Calories |
| proteins | 3 | x 3.46 | = 10.38 |
| fat | 1 | x 8.37 | = 8.37 |
| carbohydrate | 13 | x 4.12 | = 53.56 |
Total energy = 72.31 Cal
Rounded = 72 Cal
Converted to kilojoules: 72.31 Cal x 4.184 = 302.5 kJ
Rounded = 300 kJ
Example 2: Calculating the energy of 250 ml of macaroni and cheese using the average energy values:
| Nutrient | Amount in g |
Specific Energy Factors for Oatmeal Cal/g |
Calories |
| proteins | 18 | x 4 | = 72 |
| fat | 23 | x 9 | = 207 |
| carbohydrate | 42 | x 4 | = 168 |
Total energy = 447 Cal
Converted to kilojoules: 447 Cal x 4.184 = 1870.25 kJ
Rounded = 1870 kJ
| Energy Source | Energy Values (Cal/g)* |
| Isomalt Lactitol Maltitol Mannitol Sorbitol Xylitol Polydextrose |
2.0 2.0 3.0 1.6 2.6 3.0** 1.0 |
* Values from the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences, Health Products
and Food Branch, Health Canada.
** The value for xylitol is tentative.
It is considered inappropriate to subtract the weight of dietary fibre from the weight of carbohydrate prior to applying the factor of 4 in the absence of accurate energy values for the source(s) of fibre in the food. A value of less than 4 Cal (17 kJ) per gram may be used for the dietary fibre content if a specific energy value is available for the fibre source.
For the dietary fibre of wheat bran, an energy value of 0.6 Cal (2.5 kJ) may be used when calculating the energy value of the dietary fibre portion of the total carbohydrate content. The energy value of wheat bran itself is 2.4 Cal (10 kJ).
Proposals for protein source claims are contained in the consultation documents on Nutrient Content Claims, January 1996, available from Health Canada and Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The protein rating of a food is based on the protein content in a Reasonable Daily Intake of that food (see Annex 1). It is calculated by multiplying the quantity of protein present in the food (Column I below) by the quality of the protein, which is the protein efficiency ratio (PER) of the food (Column 2 below).
Protein Rating of Certain Foods
Column (1) x Column (2) = Column (3)
| Food | Protein (%) | Reasonable Daily Intake (g) | (1) Protein in Reasonable Daily Intake (g) |
(2) Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER)* |
(3) Protein Rating |
| Gelatin | 85 | 10 | 8.5 | -2.8 | 0 |
| Almonds | 20.0 | 30 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 2.4 |
| Wheat germ | 25.2 | 5 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 3.8 |
| Rice | 7.6 | 30 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 3.9 |
| Corn, whole | 3.7 | 100 | 3.7 | 1.2 | 4.4 |
| Wheat, whole | 9.9 | 30 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 4.5 |
| Oats, rolled | 14.2 | 30 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 9.5 |
| Beans, navy (dry) | 21.4 | 45 | 9.6 | 1.2 | 11.5 |
| Bread, white | 8.4 | 150(5 slices) | 12.6 | 1.0 | 12.6 |
| Lentils, cooked | 7.7 | 100 | 7.7 | 1.7 | 13.1 |
| Peanuts | 26.9 | 28 | 8.1 | 1.7 | 13.8 |
| Chickpeas, cooked | 9.3 | 100 | 9.3 | 1.7 | 15.8 |
| Wieners | 10.8 | 100 | 10.8 | 2.1 | 22.7 |
| Soybeans, heated | 34.9 | 30 | 10.5 | 2.3 | 24.1 |
| Bologna | 13.6 | 100 | 13.6 | 2.1 | 28.7 |
| Pork, ham | 15.2 | 100 | 15.2 | 2.7 | 41.0 |
| Cheese, cheddar | 25.0 | 57 | 15.0 | 2.8 | 42.0 |
| Kidney, beef | 15.0 | 100 | 15.0 | 2.9 | 43.5 |
| Liver, beef | 19.7 | 85 | 16.7 | 2.7 | 45.1 |
| Egg, whole | 12.8 | 100 (2 eggs) | 12.8 | 3.8 | 48.6 |
| Pork, tenderloin | 19.9 | 100 | 19.9 | 3.3 | 65.7 |
| Beef, muscle | 21.0 | 100 | 21.0 | 3.2 | 67.2 |
| Fish | 23 | 100 | 23 | 3.6 | 82.8 |
| Milk, whole | 3.5 | 852 | 31.5 | 2.8 | 88.2 |
* Official method for determining the protein efficiency ratio is from Health Protection Branch Method FO-1, October 15, 1981, Health Canada.
Fat should be calculated as total lipid fatty acids expressed as triglycerides.
Unsaturated fatty acids are to include "cis" isomers only (B.01.303).
The declaration of carbohydrate content is to include mono and disaccharides, starch, dietary fibre, sugar alcohols and polydextrose.
The amount of carbohydrate may be determined by subtracting the content of protein, fat, ash and moisture from the weight of the product. Dietary fibre and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol are included in the total amount declared.
The amount of sugars includes all monosaccharides and disaccharides (B.01.001).
Sugar alcohols include isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, maltitol syrup, mannitol, sorbitol, sorbitol syrup and xylitol (B.01.018).
The amount of total dietary fibre may be determined by one of the following analytical methods or by methods which yield equivalent values:
Vitamins and mineral nutrients are declared as percentages of the "Recommended Daily Intake" (D.01.013, D.02.006). Recommended Daily Intake for vitamins and mineral nutrients is a reference standard developed for use in the nutrition labelling of foods. They are based on the Recommended Nutrient Intakes for Canadians, and represent the highest recommended intake of each nutrient for each age/sex group, omitting supplemental needs for pregnancy and lactation.
Note: Recommended Daily Intakes are given for two different age groups. When using the following table be sure to use the appropriate column.
RECOMMENDED DAILY INTAKE (D.01.013, D.02.006)
| Nutrient | Units* | Persons 2 years of age or older | Infants and children less than 2 years of age |
| vitamin A vitamin D vitamin E vitamin C thiamine, (vitamin B1) riboflavin, (vitamin B2) niacin vitamin B6 folacin vitamin B12 pantothenic acid or pantothenate calcium phosphorus magnesium iron zinc iodine |
RE mcg mg mg mg mg NE mg mcg mcg mg mg mg mg mg mg mcg |
1000 5 10 60 1.3 1.6 23 1.8 220 2 7 1100 1100 250 14 9 160 |
400 10 3 20 0.45 0.55 8 0.7 65 0.3 2 500 500 55 7 4 55 |
* RE = retinol equivalents; mcg = µg = micrograms; NE = niacin equivalents; mg = milligrams
Example: Calculating the % Value of Vitamins and Mineral Nutrients of the Recommended Daily Intake.
A 125 g sample of condensed tomato soup contains:
To express these quantities as a percentage of the Recommended Daily Intake for adults, divide each nutrient by the Recommended Daily Intake for that nutrient from the preceding table and multiply by 100:
The units formerly used to express the vitamin A content of a food were international units (IU). Vitamin A is now measured in retinol equivalents (RE). To convert international units (IU) of vitamin A into retinol equivalents, the following formula is used:
(IU retinol/3.33) + (IU beta-carotene/10) = 1 RE
The amount of vitamin A in a food can be calculated from its content of beta-carotene and of retinol and its derivatives, all expressed as retinol equivalents (RE) based on the following relationships:
1 RE = 1 microgram retinol = 6 micrograms beta-carotene
The following table may be used to convert international units (IU) of vitamin A to retinol equivalents (RE), and to % Recommended Daily Intakes of vitamin A for adults and children.
Conversion Table for Vitamin A
| IU of retinol | IU of beta-carotene | RE | % RDI (greater than or equal to 2 years of age)* | % RDI (less than 2 years of age)** |
| 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900 950 1000 |
150 300 450 600 750 900 1050 1200 1350 1500 1650 1800 1950 2100 2250 2400 2550 2700 2850 3000 |
15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150 165 180 195 210 225 240 255 270 285 300 |
1.5 3.0 4.5 6.0 7.5 9.0 10.5 12.0 13.5 15.0 16.5 18.0 19.5 21.0 22.5 24.0 25.5 27.0 28.5 30.0 |
3.8 7.5 11.3 15.0 18.8 22.5 26.3 30.0 33.8 37.5 41.3 15.0 48.8 52.5 56.3 60.0 63.8 67.5 71.3 75.0 |
* Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin A for persons of 2 years of age and older is 1000
RE.
** Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin A for persons less than 2 years of age is 400 RE.
Vitamin D was formerly expressed in international units (IU) but is now measured in micrograms (mcg).
The amount of vitamin D may be calculated based on the following relationship:
1 mcg of either ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) or cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) = 40 IU vitamin D
The following table contains IU of vitamin D converted to mcg, along with a calculation of the % of Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin D for adults and children.
Conversion Table for Vitamin D
| IU | mcg | % RDI (greater than or equal to 2 years of age)* | % RDI (less than 2 years of age)** |
| 4 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 |
0.10 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 2.25 2.50 |
2 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 |
1 2.5 5 7.5 10 12.5 15 17.5 20 22.5 25 |
* Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin D for persons 2 years of age or older is 5 mcg.
** Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin D for persons less than 2 years of age is 10 mcg.
Vitamin E was formerly expressed in International Units (IU) but is now measured in milligrams. To determine the Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin E when is it is expressed in IU, the following formula must be used:
1 IU Vitamin E = 0.67 mg d-alpha tocopherol
This formula applies no matter what the ingredient source of the vitamin E activity (e.g., dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol, or d-alpha tocopherol, etc.).
The following table gives conversions of IU of vitamin E converted to mg, along with a calculation of the % of the Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin E for adults and children.
Conversion Table for Vitamin E
| IU | mg | % RDI (greater than or equal to 2 years of age)* | % RDI (less than 2 years of age)** |
| 0.25 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 |
.17 .34 .67 1.0 1.3 1.7 2.0 2.3 2.7 3.0 3.4 3.7 4.0 4.4 4.7 5.0 |
2 3 7 10 13 17 20 23 27 30 34 37 40 44 47 50 |
5.6 11.2 22.3 33.5 44.7 55.8 67.0 78.2 89.3 100.5 111.7 122.8 134.0 145.2 156.3 167.5 |
* Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin E for persons 2 years of age or older is 10 mg.
** Recommended Daily Intake of vitamin E for persons less than 2 years of age is 3 mg.
The amount of vitamin C is based on the content of L-ascorbic acid and L-dehydroascorbic acid and their derivatives, calculated in milligram equivalents of L-ascorbic acid and expressed in milligrams.
The amount of thiamine and its derivatives is based on the content of thiamine expressed in milligrams.
The amount of riboflavin and its derivatives is based on the content of riboflavin expressed in milligrams.
Although previously expressed in milligrams, niacin is now determined in niacin equivalents (NE). The conversion formula is as follows:
NE = mg niacin and/or nicotinic acid + (mg tryptophan÷60)
The content of tryptophan in a food can be estimated if the protein content of the food is known. Tryptophan constitutes 1.5 percent of egg protein, 1.3 percent of protein from milk, meat, poultry or fish, and 1.1 percent of the protein from mixed and other sources.
Example: Calculating the % of the Recommended Daily Intake of niacin in a mixed protein source. A 60 g serving of food contains 4.26 mg niacin and 7.5 g protein from a mixed source:
b) calculate the amount of tryptophan (which is 1.1% of the protein)
1.1% x 7.5 g protein = 0.082 g tryptophan = 82 mg
c) using the conversion formula above, divide mg of tryptophan by 60
82 mg ÷ 60 mg = 1.36 NE
d) add niacin equivalents from the niacin and the tryptophan 4.26 NE + 1.36 NE = 5.62 NE
e) calculate the % of the Recommended Daily Intake of niacin (for adults which is 23 NE)
(5.62 NE ÷ 23 NE) x 100% = 24%
The amount of vitamin B6 is based on the content of pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine and their derivatives, calculated in milligram equivalents of pyridoxine and expressed as milligrams.
The amount of folacin is based on the content of folic acid (pteroylmonoglutamic acid) and related compounds exhibiting the biological activity of folic acid, calculated in microgram equivalents of folic acid and expressed in micrograms.
The amount of vitamin B12 is based on the content of cyanocobalamin and related compounds exhibiting the biological activity of cyanocobalamin, calculated in microgram equivalents of cyanocobalamin and expressed in micrograms.
The amount of pantothenic acid or pantothenate is based on the content of d-pantothenic acid and expressed in milligrams.
No mention may be made of vitamins and mineral nutrients without "Recommended Daily Intakes", (D.01.004, D.02.002) except sodium and potassium and the following specific exceptions:
Except as noted in (iv), the quantities of these nutrients are to be declared in milligrams per serving of stated size [D.01.005(b), D.02.003(b)] and should follow the listing of vitamins and mineral nutrients with "Recommended Daily Intakes".
 Top of Page |
Important Notices |
