Nutrition Labelling... Get the Facts!

Return to the Factsheet Listing

Factsheet 1: Nutrition Labelling: A Description

Objective: To build awareness and understanding of the key concepts and features of nutrition information on food labels.

Key Message for Consumers
Nutrition Facts: easy to find, easy to read, and on more foods.

What Is the Nutrition Information on Food Labels?

Nutrition information on food labels can support consumers in making informed food choices. It can be found in nutrition labelling (provided on labels of prepackaged foods, under the title "Nutrition Facts"); nutrition claims, which include both nutrient content claims and health claims; and the ingredient list. It does not refer to all information on the label, such as labelling related to allergens, food biotechnology (genetically modified organisms - GMOs), organic certification, irradiation processes or the "best before" date.

A Nutrition Labelling Policy

Nutrition labelling is the standardized presentation of the nutrient content of a food, based on a specific amount of food. It appears on prepackaged foods in a table format with the title "Nutrition Facts".

The Nutrition Facts includes nutrient information that is easy to find and read. The changes are the result of contributions from many sources - an external advisory committee, consumer research, consultation and correspondence, expert input, and insights from the US model - ensuring that it is based on sound science and reflects consumers' best interests.

Nutrition Facts

• Consistent look and content: The Nutrition Facts table is designed so that it is easy to read and looks the same on most products. The same core nutrients are always listed in the same order. A predictable look makes it easy to find and use.
• On more foods: Almost all prepackaged food products must display the Nutrition Facts.
• The Nutrition Facts table has information on Calories and an expanded list of nutrients that consumers and health professionals consider important to health - the core nutrient list.
  
  Tour of Nutrition Facts
  
  • All of the information in Nutrition Facts is based on a specific amount of food.
  • The Facts table lists Calories and 13 core nutrients.
  • The number is the actual amount (quantity) of the nutrient in the specific amount of food. Even if the nutrient amount is zero, it is listed.
  • The % Daily Value gives a context to the actual amount of a nutrient. It indicates at a glance if there is a lot or a little of a nutrient in the specific amount of food.
  
  More nutrients may be listed on some labels.
  
  Formats
  The standard format appears on most prepackaged foods, whenever there is enough label space. When space is insufficient, horizontal or linear formats can be used. For smaller packages, Nutrition Facts can appear on the inside of the food label, on an insert or on a tag. Very small packages must at least provide an indication of how consumers may obtain the information, such as through a postal address or toll-free number.
  
  Basis of the Nutrient Information
  The nutrient information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on a specific amount of the food. The energy value is provided in Calories. Most nutrients are provided in grams or milligrams, and as a percentage of a Daily Value based on a reference standard. Vitamins and minerals are expressed only as a percentage of a Daily Value based on a recommended daily intake. Nutrient values are rounded according to specific rules set by government.
  
  Exemptions
  The Nutrition Facts table appears on almost all prepackaged foods, but exemptions are allowed because it is difficult to provide labelling under certain conditions, such as:
  
  • fresh fruit and vegetables
  • raw meat and poultry (except when ground), and raw fish and seafood
  • food products that are prepared from ingredients or from pre-mixes, or small amounts of food that have been packaged at the retail establishment and sold on site
    - examples are bakery items, sausages made at retail
  • products with insignificant amounts of all 13 core nutrients in a normal serving
    - examples are coffee beans, tea leaves, herbs and spices, and food colours
  • alcoholic beverages
  • foods sold at road-side stands, craft shows, flea markets, fairs, farmers' markets and sugar bushes by the same person who made them
  
  These foods will lose their exempt status - and must display the Nutrition Facts table - if:
  
  
  • their label or advertisement has a nutrition claim (either nutrient content claim or health claim) or health-related proprietary mark of a third party (e.g. a heart symbol or name of a health group)
  • vitamins or minerals have been added
  • sweeteners such as aspartame have been added
  
  Exempted foods may still have Nutrition Facts on the label. Consumers should be encouraged to look for and request this information. For example, information binders on the nutritional value of vegetables and fruit may be found near produce sections in grocery stores, and reference booklets on the nutrient content of products are sometimes available, on request, at restaurants.
  
  Foods that are not prepackaged will not have a Nutrition Facts table. This includes foods that are served or sold in restaurants, cafeterias, take-outs; meats and cheeses sold at a deli counter; and many fresh fruit and vegetables.
  
  What About Other Nutrients?
  The core nutrients must be listed in the Nutrition Facts table, along with any other nutrients related to any nutrition claims on the package or any nutrients that have been added to the product. The Facts table does not include each and every nutrient present in the food. The absence of a "non-core" nutrient in the Facts table does not mean that the nutrient is not in the food.
  
  Manufacturers may include, in the Nutrition Facts table, other nutrients from a defined list. Other vitamins, minerals, types of fat, sugar alcohols and starch are included in this list. Information on any other food constituent (e.g. phytochemicals such as isoflavone, or carotenoids such as lycopene) may appear outside the table.

Nutrition Claims

Nutrition claims include nutrient content claims, which describe the amount of a nutrient in a food, such as "reduced in fat," "very high source of fibre" or "source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids." These usually appear on the front of food packages. Nutrition claims also include authorized diet-related health claims, which highlight a relationship between diet and a disease or condition, and are supported by sound scientific evidence. At the end of this background factsheet series is a list of some common nutrition claims and their meanings (see section on "What Do Nutrition Claims Mean?").

A manufacturer can choose whether or not to include nutrition claims on the label. However, government regulations specify the wording of a claim that must be used to ensure that the claim is consistent and not misleading, as well as the criteria that a food has to meet to qualify for a claim. For example, regulations specify the amount of food on which the claim is based (so that foods, in a category, can be compared to one another), and the amount of the nutrient about which the claim is made ("low fat" means 3 g or less fat per stated amount of food). The regulations pertaining to nutrition claims apply to all foods, prepackaged and not prepackaged, no matter where they are sold.

List of Ingredients

Virtually all prepackaged foods must include a list of ingredients by weight, from most to least (those with the most weight are listed first). The ingredient list helps to identify sources of the nutrients and their relative importance in the food. This list is an important source of allergy information.

Enforcing the Regulations

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for enforcing the regulations and for encouraging and verifying industry compliance with them.