Nutrition Labelling

The Issue

Healthy eating plays an important role in promoting health and reducing the risk of chronic disease. The nutrition labels found on most foods and beverages provide valuable information to help Canadians make healthy choices.

Background

A Nutrition Facts table is now mandatory on most prepackaged foods. Smaller companies have until December 12, 2007 to make the nutrition information available.

The Nutrition Facts table lists calories and 13 core nutrients for a specific amount of food. The Nutrition Facts table has a consistent “look,” making it easy to find and read on most prepackaged foods.

The specific amount of food in the Nutrition Facts table may be indicated by a phrase (such as two slices) or a familiar household unit (½ cup), followed by the metric measure (64 g; 125 ml). You should always compare the amount you eat to the amount listed in the Nutrition Facts table.

The energy value in the Nutrition Facts table is measured in calories. Most nutrients, such as fat, sodium, or fibre, are measured in grams or milligrams with a % Daily Value. Vitamins and minerals are expressed only as a % Daily Value, based on recommendations for a healthy diet.

The % Daily Value provides a quick overview of the nutrient profile of the food, allowing you to compare products based on more than one nutrient. It provides a consistent scale for all nutrients.

The nutrients listed in the Nutrition Facts were chosen because health professionals, scientists, and consumers consider them to be the most important to the health of Canadians.

Some foods and beverages are exempt from labelling regulations, such as:

• fresh fruit and vegetables
• raw meat and poultry (except ground meat)
• raw fish and seafood
• foods containing very few nutrients (such as coffee, tea, and spices)
• alcoholic beverages
• foods prepared or processed at the store.

The criteria for nutrient content claims, such as low fat, reduced in calories, source of fibre, or excellent source of vitamin C, have been updated. For the first time, manufacturers now can make claims on diet-health relationships. For example, they can make specific claims about reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, or high blood pressure.

You can use nutrition claims as a starting point, but do not rely only on them to make comparisons. The Nutrition Facts and the list of ingredients should be used to get a complete picture of a particular product. The ingredient list, also found on the label, helps to identify sources of the nutrients and their relative importance in the food. Ingredients are listed by weight. Those with the greatest weight are listed first.

The Benefits of Nutrition Labelling

Nutrition labelling can help you make informed food choices. The Nutrition Facts table provides easy-to-find, easy-to-read, and easy-to-use information on foods that will help you to:

• understand the nutritional value of a food
• compare products more easily
• increase or decrease the amount you eat of a particular nutrient.

Nutrition labelling is also important to the millions of Canadians and their family members who have, or are at risk of, chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. It can help them better manage special diets. For example, if you are concerned about coronary heart disease and are trying to follow specific recommendations, such as limiting salt (sodium), you can use the % Daily Value to quickly assess if a food has a lot or a little of this nutrient. By putting the nutrients all on the same scale (0% to 100%), you can quickly assess the strengths and weaknesses of a food for your eating pattern.

Health Canada's Role

Health Canada has released public education resources to help Canadians understand and use the Nutrition Facts table. For example, an interactive Web-based tool, the Interactive Nutrition Label and Quiz, takes consumers step-by-step through the food label to help them better understand the nutrition information available and make healthy food choices.

The Nutrition Labelling Toolkit for Educators was developed to help dietitians and other health providers educate Canadians about nutrition labelling and its use. A distinct Toolkit has also been developed for First Nations and Inuit communities. The Toolkit contains:

• fact sheets
• a ready-to-use presentation
• consumer tear-sheets
• posters
• sample Nutrition Facts tables
• Questions and Answers.

Materials from the kit are available on the Health Canada Web site.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for nutrition labelling compliance and enforcement.

Need More Info?

The Interactive Nutrition Label and Quiz

Consumer resources and the Toolkit for Educators can be found on Health Canada's Web site

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's frequently asked questions regarding nutrition labelling.
Canadian Diabetes Association and Dietitians of Canada's, Healthy Eating is in Store for You Web site has additional resources.

For additional articles on health and safety issues go to the It's Your Health Web site.
You can also call toll free at 1-866-225-0709 or TTY at 1-800-267-1245*.

Updated: May 2007
Original: May 2004
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Health, 2007