Archived - Overview of the proposed regulatory changes for the Food Labelling Modernization initiative
This page has been archived
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or record-keeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.
The Government of Canada has published proposed regulatory changes as part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's Food Labelling Modernization (FLM) initiative.
Here is an overview of the key proposed changes, grouped by their proposed transition periods.
Summer 2020 (TBC) – Upon registration of the regulatory changes in the Canada Gazette, Part II – elements that do not require a label change
- Standard container sizes
- Class names (incorporation by reference)
- Streamline commodity specific labelling (where no label change is required)
- Define "Test market food"
December 2022 (TBC) – 2 years after registration
- Date marking
- Food company information
- Foreign country or state of origin of imported food
- Streamline commodity specific labelling (where label change may be required)
December 2026 (TBC) – 6 years after registration
More information
- Food Labelling Modernization initiative
- Questions and answers
- News release - Government of Canada moves a step closer to modernize its food labelling system
- Notice to industry – Prepublication of regulatory changes for Food Labelling Modernization
- Consultation – Proposed Food Labelling Modernization regulatory amendments
- Proposed documents to be Incorporated by Reference – Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and Food and Drug Regulations
- Regulations amending the Food and Drug Regulations
- Regulations amending the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
Standard container sizes
Helps consumers compare similar products and standardizes the manufacturing process for some products
Current requirement
Required for certain foods, such as honey, processed meats, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables
Example: Frozen spinach and prepackaged bacon must be sold in certain sizes
Proposed change
Remove the requirement for standard weight and container sizes for a number of products and incorporate by reference the rest
Example: Remove required frozen spinach sizes and incorporate by reference prepackaged bacon sizes
Rationale for change
Creates flexibility to allow industry to introduce new and innovative products
Provides more options for consumers
Class names (incorporation by reference)
Group names for similar ingredients, such as "vegetable oil," flavour" or "milk ingredients"
Current requirement
More than 45 class names
Specific class names are required to identify certain food ingredients and components
Some are outdated
Proposed change
Incorporate by reference the list of mandatory and optional class names to facilitate alignment with international standards
Rationale for change
Facilitates alignment with international standards and key trading partners
Facilitates changing requirement quickly in the future to meet stakeholder needs and support innovation
Streamline commodity specific labelling (where no label change is required)
Some food commodities have specific labelling requirements
Current requirement
Many are very prescriptive and outdated
Sometimes limits flexibility on which terms can be used on labels
Example: Jam must be labelled "contains pectin" on the main panel
Proposed change
Streamline requirements to remove duplication and burden for industry
Incorporate by reference a list of food descriptors (for example soft, semi-soft, firm, ripened terms for cheese)
Example: Repeal the requirement to declare "contains pectin" on the main panel of jam. Industry can choose to declare voluntarily or not at all
Rationale for change
Repeals outdated requirements to increase flexibility and achieve a more outcome based approach
No changes where labelling is required for health, safety, consumer protection or trade.
Define "Test market food"
A test market authorization (TMA) gives a short-term exemption from regulatory requirements to allow a company to test a new product on the market
Current requirement
Inconsistent TMA processes and criteria across food types
Proposed change
Consistent process and criteria for all foods, including a definition of "test market food" to clarify its intended purpose, such as to test viability of new foods on the Canadian market
Rationale for change
Creates market fairness by improving consistency
Date marking
Provides consumers with the length of time the quality of the food product will be maintained under certain conditions
Current requirement
Applies to foods with durable life of 90 days or less
Limited format options
Format may be confusing since the year is not included
Example: Best before / meuilleur avant JA 11
Proposed change
Apply to all foods (with some exceptions)
Flexible format options
Increase alignment with international standards (when to use "expiration date" versus "best before," and include day, month and year)
List of foods not requiring best before date would be incorporated by reference
Example: Best before 2020 JA 11 or Best before 20-01-11 YY-MM-DD
Rationale for change
Enhances consumers understanding of dates on labels
Provides more flexibility for industry
Increases alignment with international standard and key trading partners
Food company information
Provides consumers with information to contact the food company
Current requirement
Company name and address must be declared on the label: company name, city and province or city and country
Example: XYZ Company, Toronto, ON
Proposed change
In addition to current requirement, label would include a method of communication such as phone number, email or website address
Example: XYZ Company, Toronto, ON XYZCo@website.com
Rationale for change
Allows direct communications between the consumer and food company
Enables consumers to get more information
Foreign country or state of origin of imported food
States where a wholly imported food is from
Current requirement
Only some types of imported food must declare the country or state of origin on the label (such as meat, dairy, and fish products) while other foods can use "imported by" or "imported for" along with the Canadian dealer name and address
Example: Imported by ABC Company
Proposed change
Require an indication of the country or state of origin for all wholly imported foods
Increase alignment with the international standard to indicate the country where the food was last substantially transformed (manufactured, processed, treated or preserved)
Example: Imported from Chile
Rationale for change
Creates consistency across foods
Informs consumers where imported food is coming from
Streamline commodity specific labelling (where label change may be required)
Current requirement
No overall requirement about how to describe a food, but many commodity specific prescriptive requirements
Example: water that is carbonated must declare "carbonated" and may not declare "sparkling"
Proposed change
Introduce outcome-based requirement to describe the true nature of the food, and eliminate many commodity specific requirements
Example: "carbonated" wording no longer prescribed, but companies would still be required to accurately describe the food and choose how to do it
Rationale for change
Provides additional flexibility to industry, consistency across foods, outcome based
Legibility and location
Location, size, style, type size, colour of label information
Current requirement
Inconsistent requirements for type size and placement of text across food types
Example: The common name "Frozen Dessert" can be in type size of just 1.6 mm on a large package
Proposed change
Create consistent text requirements for all foods and adequate contrast for other information on the label
Example: The common name "Frozen Dessert" must be in type size proportional to package size
Rationale for change
Improves legibility of information on food label for consumers
Provides consistency to where certain information should be placed on food label
Characterizing ingredients
Emphasis placed on specific ingredients through the product name, ingredient claims or pictures
Current requirement
Claims or pictures emphasizing the presence of key ingredients can mislead consumers as to the actual quantities and make it hard to compare similar products
Example: A pie that claims to be made with real peaches
Proposed change
Declare percentage of characterizing ingredients on the label
Clearly indicate the food is "flavoured" when an ingredient is referred to on the label but is not added at all or is added in flavouring amounts, for example "strawberry flavoured ice cream"
Example: "Made with real peaches" in mixed fruit pie, 15% peaches shows in ingredient list
Rationale for change
Allows consumers to make more informed decisions by allowing them to compare products and prevents them from being misled
Increases alignment with international standard and trading partners
- Date modified: