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Food > Labelling > Nutrition Labelling > Toolkit Section G - Nutrition Facts Tables for Children Under Two Years of Age
Table of Contents
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1. Presentation of Core and Additional Information
2. When May These Formats Be Used?All formats for children under two years of age may be used only on foods that are promoted and sold solely for children under two years of age. Products that are promoted for both young children and adults are not subject to the special provisions in the regulations that apply to food for children under two years of age, e.g., some brands of arrowroot cookies. Prohibitions against the use of the nutrition facts tableThe following foods are specifically prohibited from declaring a Nutrition Facts table:
3. Major Labelling DifferencesThere are several major differences between nutrition information requirements for prepackaged food for consumers and prepackaged foods for children under two years of age [B.01.403].
Serving sizeAlthough there is considerable variation in the manner of declaration of the serving size among the different Nutrition Facts table formats, there is always a requirement for the serving size to be declared for the product as sold. This serving is to be the amount of food that one person would reasonably eat at one eating occasion. While the 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising provides a list of reasonable serving sizes for many foods, there are no recommended serving sizes or reference amounts for children under two years of age. Permitted nutrient content claims for foods for children under twoThe only nutrient content claims permitted on food solely for children under two years of age are those listed in column 4 to the table following Section B.01.513 for the following items [B.01.503] and claims for vitamins and minerals:
No other nutrient content claims are permitted except declarations of amounts of other nutrients not listed in B.01.401 or B.01.402 (e.g., amino acids). 4. Different NFT Formats for Foods for Children Under TwoStandard, Bilingual Horizontal, Linear Formats Children Under TwoPresenting nutrition information on the basis of the food as sold (Standard, Horizontal or Linear formats) is appropriate for most foods. However, these formats may not be used on an assortment of foods of the same type when:
Simplified Formats Children Under TwoThe simplified formats may be used on foods whose nutrient value is "0", as reported in the NFT, for six or more of: Calories, fat, sodium, carbohydrates, fibre, sugars, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. Use of these formats is always optional. Aggregate Format Different Kinds of Foods Children Under TwoThese formats are appropriate for prepackaged products containing an assortment of foods of the same type, when:
In these cases (e.g., a variety pack of baby food), use of the Aggregate Format Different Kinds of Foods is mandatory [B.01.406(3)(a), B.01.463].* * Health Canada is proposing to amend the Regulations. While this format is currently mandatory for assortments of similar foods that have different nutrient compositions (e.g., multi-packs), the proposed amendment would also allow manufacturers to use individual Standard Formats to present the nutrition information for each food within the assortment. Aggregate Format Different Amounts of Food Children Under TwoThese formats may be used whenever it is suitable to provide nutrition information for a food in more than one amount. For example, a serving of baby cookies might be one cookie or two. The use of these formats is always optional. Hierarchy of formats Once a basic format type is chosen (Standard/Horizontal/ Linear, Simplified, Aggregate Different Kinds of Foods, Aggregate Different Amounts of Food), a step-by-step approach is taken to choosing an appropriate Nutrition Facts table. The approach is exactly like that outlined in Section D of this Toolkit, "Has the Correct Format Been Used" A decision tree is provided for each format family. The manufacturer must first review all of the options within the 1st (preferred) level. All of those options must be exhausted before the manufacturer may move to the 2nd level ... and so on. (See schematics). Within the 1st level, the manufacturer may choose from among two options: the basic format and the bilingual format. In the case of the Standard/Horizontal/Linear family, a narrow standard option is also provided. Once an option is chosen, the manufacturer must select the largest version (size) of the format that will fit:
Larger versions of a format may always be used. If no suitable fit is found in the 1st level, the manufacturer proceeds to the next level of options. In the case of the Standard/Horizontal/Linear family and the Simplified families, a middle level exists that provides Bilingual Horizontal formats. The same rules apply to choosing the appropriate size of NFT at this level. However, in the lowest level options (the 2nd level for the Aggregate families and the 3rd level for the Standard/Horizontal/Linear and Simplified families), it is no longer mandatory to use the largest option. Any format or any version of a format may be chosen.
Hierarchy of FormatsStandard, Horizontal, Linear Formats Children Under Two
Hierarchy of FormatsSimplified Formats Children Under Two
Hierarchy of FormatsAggregate Format Different Kinds of Foods Children Under Two (B.01.463)
* Alternative Methods of Presentation may be used only for prepackaged products containing an assortment of foods of the same type, when:
Hierarchy of FormatsAggregate Format Different Amounts of Food Children
Under Two
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