January 1, 2026, deadline for Front-of-package (FOP) labelling
You must comply with FOP labelling requirements by the deadline. There will be no enforcement discretion after January 1, 2026. For non-compliances identified during inspections, regulated parties will be given time to make corrections as established in the timeframe for complete corrective actions that correspond to the severity of the non-compliance according to the Standard Inspection Process (SIP).
On this page
- Requirements for the nutrition symbol
- Prohibitions from using a nutrition symbol
- Exemptions from the nutrition symbol
- Presentation of the nutrition symbol
- Nutrition symbol formats
Requirements for the nutrition symbol
Unless otherwise exempted or prohibited, prepackaged foods containing saturated fat, sugars and/or sodium at or above specified thresholds are required to be labelled with the nutrition symbol [B.01.350, FDR].
For more information, refer to Which foods are subject to the new FOP labelling rules? and Appendix 1: Steps for determining whether the amount of saturated fat, sugars and/or sodium in a prepackaged product meets or exceeds the FOP nutrition symbol thresholds in the Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry.
Prohibitions from using a nutrition symbol
Certain foods are prohibited from displaying the FOP nutrition symbol [B.01.350(15), FDR]. For a list of these foods, refer to Foods prohibited from displaying the front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol in the Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry.
Exemptions from the nutrition symbol
Some foods are exempt from the FOP nutrition symbol requirements [B.01.350(5) to B.01.350(13.2), FDR].
Foods that hold a full exemption are never required to carry the nutrition symbol, even if the nutrient content meets or exceeds the threshold for the nutrient of concern [B.01.350(5), FDR]. For more information, refer to Which foods have a full exemption? in the Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry.
Other foods are conditionally exempt from the nutrition symbol requirements and may lose their exemption in certain cases. This means under certain conditions, the saturated fat, sugars and/or sodium content of the product needs to be assessed against the appropriate threshold to determine whether a nutrition symbol is required.
For details on the conditions of exemption or loss of exemption, refer to Which foods have a conditional exemption? of the guide.
Exemptions that exist for specific commodities are summarized in the food-specific labelling requirements section of the Industry Labelling Tool.
Presentation of the nutrition symbol
The FDR specifically prescribe where and how the nutrition symbol must be displayed on a prepackaged product that meets or exceeds the threshold for sodium, saturated fat and/or sugars.
Unless otherwise permitted, the nutrition symbol must be displayed on the principal display panel of the prepackaged product. For more information, refer to Where on the labels of prepackaged products does the symbol have to be displayed? in the Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry.
To ensure legibility, the graphic and technical requirements of the nutrition symbol are highly prescriptive. Sections B.01.351 to B.01.354 of the FDR and the Directory of Nutrition Symbol Specifications, incorporated by reference into the FDR, set specifications about colour, language, size, dimensions, orientation and visibility of the nutrition symbol.
The Directory of Nutrition Symbol Specifications contains tables that outline formatting specifications of the variations of the nutrition symbol that are acceptable for use on prepackaged products. It also sets out how information is to be laid out in the symbol, for example, nutrition symbol dimensions and minimum buffer surrounding the nutrition symbol.
For graphic illustrations of the variations of the nutrition symbol, refer to the Compendium of nutrition symbol formats.
Note that it is prohibited to label, advertise or sell a prepackaged product with any representation, including a word, phrase, illustration, sign, mark, symbol or design, that can be mistaken for a nutrition symbol [B.01.358(1), FDR].
For more information, refer to Presentation of the front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol in the Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry.
Nutrition symbol formats
When the nutrition symbol is required on a food label, the prescribed format must be used [B.01.350 to B.01.354, Schedule K.1, FDR].
For instructions on choosing the correct FOP nutrition symbol format required on the label of a prepackaged product, refer to Appendix 2: Steps for choosing a FOP nutrition symbol format in the Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry.