Additional Reference Materials
NUTRITION LABELLING GUIDE
Summary Of Health Canada Nutrition Labelling Regulations
On January 1, 2003, Health Canada published final amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations proposed "Nutritional Labelling
Regulations”requiring that Canadian Food manufacturers and importers now provide nutritional information in a mandatory "Nutrition Facts"
label on their food products. The new regulations require producers of pre-packaged foods to:
- Declare the number of calories and the amounts of 13 key nutrients, including: the amount of fat, saturated and trans fats,
cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, sugars, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, in a specified amount of food.
- Follow updated guidelines for "Nutrient Content Claims" and "Sensory Characteristics" that specify the conditions required for a
food to qualify for a claim (i.e. "low sodium, "low calorie" etc.).
- Consider, for the first time, making specific "diet-related health claims" for foods that quality for and are suitable for diets that (as
part of a health lifestyle) can reduce the risk of developing a certain chronic disease, such as cancer, osteoporosis or heart disease.
Key Message - "You Are What You Eat”
The new "Nutritional Labelling Regulations", will assist consumers in making informed food choices which can help to influence their diets,
provide nutrient values of the food they eat and reduce the risk of nutrition-related chronic diseases.
The new "Nutrition Facts" label was designed to have a consistent look, be easier to read and understand. It will be based on a specified
amount of food to allow consumers to compare this to the amount they eat, and will provide "% Daily Value", to indicate if a food has a "little"
or a "lot" of a nutrient. Consumers will use the food label as a "tool" to make healthy choices when shopping and manufacturers can use it to
bring attention to positive features of their food products. Consumers on restricted diets and those living with, or trying to prevent, a chronic
disease need to control their intake of certain nutrients and the new "Nutrition Facts" label can help to "make every bite count".
Links to Further Sources of Information
Health Canada: www.healthcanada.ca/nutritionlabelling
Canadian Food Inspection Agency: www.inspection.gc.ca
Canadian Health Network: www.canadian-health-network.ca
Malabar offers customers nutritional information that conforms to the Nutritional Labelling Regulations. With a database of hundreds of raw
materials, we are also able to offer printer-ready versions of Canadian and US nutritional panels.
Questions? Contact our technical specialists
@ 1-888-456-6252, or at lab@malabarsuperspice.com.
We’re here to help!
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