Current status: Closed
This consultation ran from August 22, 2025 to October 21, 2025
At the request of the dairy processing sector, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) was seeking feedback on proposed changes to the ingredients or components that are allowed to use the common name "milk ingredients" or "modified milk ingredients" in the list of ingredients on a food label. That includes changes to the Common Names for Ingredients and Components document that is incorporated by reference in the Food and Drug Regulations.
In Canada, prepackaged foods with more than one ingredient generally have a list of ingredients on the food label. This list shows all the ingredients in the food, starting with the ingredient that weighs the most and ending with the ingredient that weighs the least.
Ingredients and components must be shown in the list of ingredients by their English and French common names. For certain ingredients and components, there is an option to use a common name for the class of foods they belong to instead of their individual common names. "Milk ingredients" and "modified milk ingredients" are two examples of these class common names.
Stakeholders have told us that it's not always clear which ingredients or components fall under the "milk ingredients" common name category and which fall under the "modified milk ingredients" category. They have also told us that the common name "modified milk ingredients" does not properly describe the nature of the ingredients and components that may be grouped under this class name.
Proposed changes to the Common Names for Ingredients and Components document are intended to provide more precise information on which ingredients or components may use which common name.
- This should help companies apply these names more consistently in the list of ingredients
- It should also help consumers because food labels will better reflect the nature of these ingredients and components
Who was the focus of this consultation
The CFIA was seeking comments from:
- consumers and the general public
- primary producers
- food processors and manufacturers
- food distributors and retailers
- trading partners
- other government departments and agencies, including provincial, territorial and municipal
Key theme for discussion
How the proposed changes would impact your business and/or how this would impact your food purchasing experience.
Related links
Contact us
Email: cfia.labellingconsultation-etiquetage.acia@inspection.gc.ca (include "Common Name for Milk Ingredients Consultation" in the subject line)