Description: Figure 3: Proposed changes to the list of ingredients

This content was archived on June 8, 2015.

Figure 3 shows an example of the ingredients list currently on food labels as well as an example of the proposed format for ingredients list on food labels. The current list on the left is a red box with a black outline with white text in all capital letters. The first ingredient listed is wheat flour. The next ingredient is fancy molasses and following that is vegetable oil shortening, and in brackets, soybean and/or canola oil and modified palm oil. The remainder of the ingredients are listed as brown sugar, liquid whole egg, sugar, salt, sodium bicarbonate, spices, and colour. This is followed by another sentence saying "Contains: wheat, egg, soy."

The ingredients list on the right has the changes proposed by Health Canada. It is a white box framed by a black rule, with "ingredients" in bold font on its own line and contains black text with first letter capitalization and a bullet separating each ingredient in the list. The first ingredient listed is sugars, and in brackets, fancy molasses, brown sugar and sugar.  This is followed by a bullet and then the next ingredient listed is wheat flour. This is followed by a bullet, and then the next ingredient listed is vegetable oil shortening, and in brackets, soybean and/or canola oil and modified palm oil. The remainder of the ingredients, each separated by a bullet, are listed as liquid whole egg, salt, sodium bicarbonate, spices, and colour. This is followed by another sentence saying "Contains: wheat, egg, soy."

There are six explanatory notes around the outside of the box that highlight the proposed format changes to the list of ingredients.  Above the box it states the proposed format changes as "Separate title," "Grouping of sugars-based ingredients," and "White background."  Below the box it states the proposed format changes as "Thin outline rule to create a box", "Black font; upper and lower case", and "Bullets to separate ingredients".