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Food industry
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Labeling
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Regulatory
Posted By:
Xavierre Yu
Canada changes Nutrition Facts Label on Packaged Food
New FOP Nutrition Symbol & Warnings
Changes in Canada for nutrition labels
The Canadian food industry has been given until January 1, 2026 to include sodium, sugars and saturated fats as a front-of-package nutrition symbol for products sold in Canada. These are meant to help consumers “make quick and informed choices when shopping for groceries.”
In Canada, existing regulations for front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling came into effect on July 20, 2022, requiring food manufacturers to display a standardized FOP nutrition symbol on packaged foods high in saturated fats, sugars, and/or sodium.
The new FOP symbol is a magnifying glass, accompanied by a text stating "high in" or "élevé en" followed by the applicable nutrient(s) (e.g., "high in saturated fats" or "élevé en gras saturés"). Food manufacturers must comply with the following criteria to determine if their products require the FOP symbol:
- Saturated fats: 15% or more of the total energy (calories) per serving
- Sugars: 15% or more of the total energy (calories) per serving
- Sodium: 1% or more of the Daily Value (DV) per serving, or 15% or more of the DV per serving for prepackaged meals, foods intended solely for children one year of age or older but less than four years of age, and foods with a small reference amount
Why the changes?
Studies have shown consumers may find nutrition labels overwhelming and challenging, especially aligning serving sizes with daily values and nutrients. A lack of consistency also confused consumers who were comparing products across different regions or brands. Moreover, important nutritional information might be in small print or difficult to find on labels, obscuring critical details like added sugars, sodium levels, or allergen warnings. Finally, consumers’ busy lifestyles prohibit them from analyzing nutrition labels and making informed choices.
As food retailers and manufacturers, we need to both follow Canadian label regulations to remain compliant but also to help consumers make healthy, informed choices.
How can you make sure to follow these rules?
Having the technology to create these new labels for the Canadian market may seem difficult, especially if you now have a clunky system that doesn’t meet all your needs. If parts of the process are manual, or even gain approvals through email, you may be ready to embrace automation and data analytics in Trace One Regulatory Compliance.
What to do now
If Canada is just one of many international markets you navigate, Trace One Regulatory Compliance can help. The solution lets you query for each jurisdiction, allowing you to monitor thousands of regulations and standards regarding food safety, labeling, and import/export procedures. Trace One also lets you manage the logistical challenges and customs procedures you need for each of your products.
Manage ingredients, suppliers, food safety
If you want to go beyond regulatory compliance management only, Trace One's larger Product Lifecyle Management (PLM) platform includes features for managing ingredients and suppliers. You can track the origin, composition, and usage of ingredients, as well as manage supplier documentation, certifications, and audits to ensure compliance with quality and safety standards. For example, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in the United States are just a few already included in the platform.
Maintain traceability, handling enforcement procedures
If you are dealing with food safety incidents or recalls, Trace One lets you trace the origin of ingredients, track their movement through the supply chain, and maintain accurate records to facilitate recalls, even within a global supply chain with multiple suppliers and intermediaries.
Enforcement agencies and regulatory authorities also may hold scheduled inspections and audits; make documentation requests: and take enforcement action against your organization. If that happens, you must have a technological tool to communicate and respond quickly.
You also can proactively run risk assessments, identify potential hazards, and implement risk mitigation measures throughout the product lifecycle. Trace One Regulatory Compliance allows you to protect product safety, minimize liability, and shield brand reputation.
Labelling
If you operate globally, regulations for ingredient lists, allergen declarations, nutritional labeling, country of origin labeling, and health claims multiply exponentially. In Canada and worldwide, local Trace One experts keep track of what you need to know and continuously update regulatory libraries so you can update labels fast.
Trace One allows you to:
- Create, manage, and validate product labels to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and consumer expectations.
- Generate compliant labels.
- Manage label artwork versions.
- Validate label content against regulatory standards.
Moving forward on tackling regulatory updates
Updating product information and labelling to comply with the newly updated Canadian regulations is a potentially time and energy-intensive endeavor for businesses. Small and medium-sized producers may not possess sufficient resources to comply with complex regulatory requirements while also managing other operational priorities and cost pressures. Regulatory costs include investments in technology, staff training, testing and certification, and consulting services to ensure adherence to regulations.
Using a cloud-based solution like Trace One Regulatory Compliance immediately takes the pressure off your IT department to maintain hardware for PLM, allowing you to focus on powering up your regulatory workflows. When you contact Trace One, experts will come to the table with exactly what you need to fulfill your RFP, including consulting with you on out-of-the-box templates for your industry and helping you with data validation, implementation, and more.