Information
January 2003
Nutrition Facts Table
Government of Canada makes nutrition labelling mandatory
Mandatory nutrition labelling is now required on most prepackaged food. The Nutrition
Facts table will give Canadians the information they need to make informed food
choices and compare products. Consumer interests, health needs, and expanding scientific
knowledge on the role food plays in health and disease all contributed to the content
and look of the Nutrition Facts table.
This new nutrition labelling system, combined with public education, will help to reinforce
information about healthy eating practices, increase understanding of the links between
nutritional health and well-being, and help people reduce the risk of chronic nutrition-related
diseases.
Standard format makes information easier to find and use
For smaller packages, the Nutrition Facts table may appear instead on the inside
of the label, on an insert or on a tag. For very small packages, at least a postal address
or a toll-free number must be provided.
Exemptions
The Nutrition Facts table will appear on most prepackaged foods, but some exemptions
include:
- Alcoholic Beverages;
- Fresh fruit and vegetables;
- Raw single ingredient meat and poultry except for ground meat and ground poultry;
- Raw single ingredient fish and seafood;
- Food containing insignificant amounts of the 13 nutrients required in the Nutrition
Facts table;
- Food products sold only in the retail establishment where they are prepared or processed;
- Individual servings of food intended for immediate consumption.
Foods will lose their exempt status if:
- Their labels or advertisements carry a nutrition or a health claim;
- Vitamins or minerals have been added;
- Sweeteners such as aspartame have been added.
Nutrient Content and Diet-related Health Claims
The new regulations establish permitted nutrient content claims e.g. "low calorie". They
define and specify the exact conditions required for a food to qualify for a claim. These
conditions are based on recognized health and scientific information.
Similarly, regulations will allow specific diet-related health claims on food for the
first time in Canada. The permitted claims are about the following diet/health relationships:
- A healthy diet low in sodium and high in potassium - may reduce the risk of high blood
pressure;
- A healthy diet adequate in calcium and vitamin D - may reduce the risk of osteoporosis;
- A healthy diet low in saturated fat and trans fat - may reduce the risk of heart disease;
- A healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruit - may reduce the risk of some types of
cancer.
Benefits to the Health of Canadians
Research and consultations over the past five years have shown that a majority of Canadians
are interested in knowing the nutrient value of the food they eat. There has been significant
support for nutrition labelling from the public at large, interest and advocacy groups,
health professionals, and the food industry.
Nutrition labelling will help consumers make informed food choices which can help to influence
diet and reduce the risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes,
coronary heart disease and stroke.
Facts about Nutrition-related Chronic Diseases
- Over 1.5 million Canadians have diabetes mellitus and another 750,000 may have the
disease but remain undiagnosed. These Canadians need to control their intakes of Calories,
carbohydrates and fat. Diabetes costs the health care system at least $9 billion a year.
- Heart disease is the number-one killer in Canada with 63% of Canadians having at least
one major risk factor. This population is advised to control intakes of Calories, total
fat and types of fat. The annual cost to the health care system of cardiovascular disease
is estimated at $7.3 billion in direct costs and $16.9 billion in indirect costs.
Estimated value of this nutrition information initiative
Over the next 20 years, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Health Canada estimate that
the overall savings to the health care system will be in the range of $5 billion for reductions
in direct and indirect costs associated with three diagnostic categories of chronic disease:
cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke.
Costs to Industry
There is no doubt that industry will need to invest to meet the new requirements. However,
the cost of nutrition labelling is very small relative to the value of foods and beverages
sold in Canada. Industry is as aware of the wishes of consumers as the Government of Canada.
Consumers want nutrition labelling so that they can make informed food choices for themselves
and their families.
A study was done by Deloitte & Touche for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in 2000
to estimate the costs to industry. Costs included administrative costs, product analysis
costs, re-design costs and disposal costs associated with labels and packaging inventory.
These were based on implementation periods of one, two and three years. The costs to industry
have been estimated at $476 million for a one - year implementation period; $357 million
for two years; and $263 for a three year implementation period.
Industry will have three years to comply while small business will be given
five years. This should help to contain industry costs.
Costs to Consumers
The Business Impact Test carried out in 2000 -2001 for Health Canada showed that approximately
half of the 47 industry respondents estimated that prices of their product would rise slightly
and about one-third said there would be no impact on consumers.
Public Education
Health Canada and its many partners will undertake a public education campaign to help
Canadians understand and use the new Nutrition Facts table. An Educator's Kit will be available
on the web site and sent out to dietitians across Canada. As well, information will be
targeted to other key professional stakeholders who can order the Kit if they want it.
There is also a Kit targeted to Aboriginal audiences. Both Kits contain facts sheets, a
ready-to-use presentation, consumer tear sheets, posters, sample Nutrition Facts tables
and Qs and As.
Canadians will begin seeing the new Nutrition Facts table on products over the next several
months as industry begins to produce new packaging with the new information on it.
The key information for consumers is:
- The Nutrition Facts table is easy to find, easy to read, and on more foods;
- Use Nutrition Facts, the list of ingredients and nutrition claims to make
informed food choices;
- Nutrition Facts are based on a specific serving or amount of food;
- To determine the nutritional value of the food, the serving has to be compared to the
amount of food actually eaten;
- Use the % Daily Value to see if a serving of the food has a lot or a little of a nutrient.
Compliance and Enforcement
These regulations will be enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) which
is responsible for the enforcement of the food provisions of the Food and Drugs Act and
Regulations.
Health Canada will respond to industry and consumer enquiries related to the new regulations.
CFIA will respond to enquiries related to compliance and enforcement activities. Health
Canada and CFIA will be providing industry with a CD-ROM and other tools to help them with
compliance.
During the transitional period, CFIA will train its staff across all programs and update
inspection tools. CFIA procedures for assessing the accuracy of nutrition information will
be amended to reflect the new regulations. The Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising
will be modified to reflect the new regulations and posted on the CFIA web site in 2003.
* This backgrounder contains highlights of the regulatory amendments. For complete
details, please refer to the full regulatory package.
Canadians can get more information on nutrition labelling and claims as well as copies
of Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating by calling 1 800 O-Canada (1 800 622-6232) TTY/TDD
1 800 465-7735
Or by visiting www.healthcanada.ca/nutritionlabelling
Or the  Canadian
Food Inspection Agency Web site
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