Food Regulations & Food Science blog
On December 14, 2016 Health Canada & CFIA finalized changes to the Nutrition Facts table (NFT) and list of ingredients on pre-packaged foods. This included revision to the serving size and how calories, sugars and food colours are declared.
Key Points, for which a full description can be found here
- Industry will have five years (Dec. , 2021) to adopt the new requirements.
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- However, amendments dealing with food colour specifications requirements come into effect immediately.
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- All sugar-based ingredients will now be grouped together under the name “sugars” in the list of ingredients (i.e.: glucose-fructose, honey, malted barley or fancy molasses).
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- There will now be a % DV (Daily Value) for total sugars in the Nutrition Facts table (NFT).
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- All food colours will be declared by their common name rather than the generic term “colour” (i.e.: now will be “allura red”).
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- The list of ingredients and allergen information will be easier to read.
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- The serving size will be more realistic so that it reflects the amount that Canadians typically eat in one sitting.
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- The serving size and calories will also easier to find and read by:
- increasing the font size of serving size and calories
- adding a bold line under the calories
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- The list of nutrients in the NFT will now add potassium, but remove vitamin A and vitamin C.
There are a multitude of other revisions to the food labelling regulations. Please see our web page for our food label consultant services.
