Food Labelling: "A tool to support healthy eating"Food Labelling: "A tool to support healthy eating"
The nutrition fact label is one of the most important and direct means of
communicating product information between buyers and sellers. It is one of
the primary means by which consumers differentiate between individual foods
and brands to make informed purchasing choices.
A label serves three primary functions:
- It provides basic product information (including common name, list of ingredients, net quantity, durable life date, grade/quality, country of origin and name and address of manufacturer, dealer or importer).
- It provides health, safety, and nutrition information. This includes instructions for safe storage and handling, nutrition information such as the quantity of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals present per serving of stated size of the food (in the Nutrition Facts table), and specific information on products for special dietary use.
- It acts as a vehicle for food marketing, promotion and advertising (via label vignettes, promotional information and label claims such as "low fat", "cholesterol-free", "high source of fibre", "product of Canada", "natural", "organic", "no preservatives added", and so on).
Source: CFIA Website (www.inspection.gc.ca)
Almost all pre-packaged foods have Nutrition Facts
Some exceptions:
- Fresh fruit and vegetables
- Raw meat, poultry, fish and seafood
(unless it has been ground)
- Foods prepared or processed at the store
(bakery items, sausage, salads)
- Foods that contain very few nutrients
(coffee beans, tea leaves, spices)
- Alcoholic beverages.
Use Nutrition Facts to make informed food choices
- To help you choose foods that meet your needs.
- To easily compare similar foods.
- To look for foods with more or less of a specific nutrient.
- To select foods for special diets.
Use % Daily Value to see if a food has a lot or a little of a nutrient
The actual numbers can be confusing, for example:
- 2 mg of iron seems small but it is 15 % of the Daily Value for iron.
- 110 mg of sodium seems large but it is only 5 % of the Daily Value for sodium.
Please note: All recommended daily values on a Nutrition Facts label are based
on a 2000 calorie diet.
% Daily Value makes it easy to see if there is a lot or a little of a nutrient without having to do any math.
Foods containing a % Daily Value of:
- Less than or equal to 5% for fat, sodium or cholesterol is considered low in these three nutrients
- Less than or equal to 10% or less for saturated + trans fat would be low in these two nutrients
- Greater than or equal to 15% for calcium, iron, vitamin A or fibre, the food would be considered high in these nutrients
For example, if you are looking to reduce the cholesterol in your diet, choose products having 5% or less Daily Value for cholesterol. Source: Health Canada, 2003. (www.hc-sc.gc.ca)
Nutrition claims
They are:
- Regulated statements made when a food meets certain criteria - this ensures claims will be consistent and not misleading.
- Optional, so may be found only on some food products.
- Often on the front of food packages.
- A quick and easy way to get information about a food.
Keep an eye out for claims using the words "Free", "Low", "Reduced", "Source", or "Light". Criteria for meeting these claims are outlined below. Source: Health Canada. (www.hc-sc.gc.ca)
| Key Words |
Meaning |
| Cholesterol-free |
< 2 mg cholesterol and low in saturated fat* (not necessarily low in total fat) |
| Free |
An amount of a nutrient so small that health experts consider nutritionally insignificant |
| Light |
When referring to a nutritional characteristic it is allowed on foods that are either "reduced in fat" or "reduced in energy/calories". If used to refer to colour, texture or taste an explanation is required on the label as to what makes the food "light" |
| Low |
Always associated with a very small amount of a nutrient |
| Low fat |
< 3 g of fat* |
| Low in saturated fat |
< 2 g of saturated fat and trans fat combined* |
| Reduced |
At least 25% less of a nutrient compared with a similar product |
| Reduced in calories |
At least 25% less calories than the food compared to a similar product |
| Sodium-free |
< 5mg sodium* |
| Source |
Always associated with a significant amount |
| Source of calcium |
165 mg of calcium* |
| Source of fibre |
4 g of fibre* |
*Refers to the reference amount of food as stated on the Nutrition Facts table.
Additional information on labelling and claims is available from offices of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency:
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
400-4321 Still Creek Avenue
Burnaby, British Columbia V5C 6S7
Tel. (604) 666-6513
Fax (604) 666-1261
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1905 Kent Road
Kelowna, British Columbia V1Y 7S6
Tel. (250) 470-4884
Fax (250) 470-4899
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
103-4475 Viewmont Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia V8Z 6L8
Tel. (250) 363-3455
Fax (250) 363-0336
Or you can visit www.healthcanada.ca/nutritionlabelling for online help.
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