The energy value and the amount of many nutrients or supplemental ingredients are required (or permitted) to be declared inside the Nutrition Facts table or the Supplemented Food Facts table. However, quantitative declarations of energy value, the amount of nutrients per serving of stated size, or the amount of supplemental ingredients per serving of stated size are also permitted outside the NFt or the SFFt, on labels or in advertisements [B.01.301, Food and Drug Regulations (FDR)].
Foods usually exempt from carrying a Nutrition Facts table will lose their exemption upon including a quantitative declaration on the label. Foods always exempt from carrying a Nutrition Facts table will never lose their exemption when a quantitative statement is made.
Unique considerations for supplemented foods (SFs) are outlined on this page. Refer to Declaring nutrients outside of the Supplemented Food Facts table and Declaring supplemental ingredients outside of the Supplemented Food Facts table in the Health Canada Guidance document: Supplemented Foods Regulations for more information.
On this page
Permitted nutrients
The nutrients permitted to be declared outside the Nutrition Facts table (NFt) include:
- nutrients required or permitted inside the NFtFootnote 1
- nutrients not required or permitted inside the NFt (for example, named amino acids), and
- constituents of nutrients (for example, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) - omega-3 polyunsaturates; fructose and glucose - sugars; inulin - an oligosaccharide)
The nutrients permitted to be declared outside the SFFt include:
- nutrients required or permitted inside the SFFt, excluding vitamin and minerals if the SF includes a "High in Caffeine" cautionary statement
- constituents of nutrients
Information triggered by quantitative statements
Some quantitative statements may trigger additional declarations:
- A statement that a food contains "0.2 g DHA per 1 cup (250 mL) serving" triggers a declaration of the amount of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids in the Nutrition Facts table (as DHA is an individually named omega-3 fatty acid), or Supplemented Food Facts table [B.01.402(3), B.29.003(6) FDR]
- If a quantitative statement is made about a group of fatty acids (for example, omega-3 polyunsaturates) or individual fatty acids (for example, DHA or linoleic acid), the quantitative statement may appear as a separate statement such as "0.1 g of omega-3 polyunsaturates per x serving", but the full disclosure of the monounsaturated, omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid content must appear in the NFt or SFFt. This also applies to the omega-6 polyunsaturates content
- With the exception of supplemented foods, a representation respecting an amino acid triggers the declaration of 9 specific essential amino acids found in the food in grams per serving of stated size (see Triggers: when additional information is mandatory). This information must be displayed outside the NFt [B.01.305(2)(b), FDR]. Refer to Protein claims for information on conditions that must be met to make a representation respecting amino acids
Note: SFs are exempted from subsection B.01.305(2) of the FDR. Refer to Amino acid claims for supplemented foods in the Health Canada Guidance document: Supplemented Food Regulations for information.
Manner of declaring
Units
All quantitative declarations outside the Nutrition Facts table or Supplemented Food Facts table must be declared on the basis of a serving of stated size in the units specified in the table below [B.01.301(1), FDR].
| Subject | Units | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | Calories (Cal) | 4 Calories per 1 cup (250 mL) serving |
| Vitamins referred to in subsection D.01.002(1), FDR (vitamins A, D, E, K and C, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, biotin and choline) | milligrams (mg), micrograms (µg) or µg dietary folate equivalents (DFE) (as applicable and as set out in subsection D.01.003(1), FDR) |
25 µg of dietary folate equivalents per serving of 1 cup (250 mL) 34 µg of vitamin A per 2 tbsp (30 mL) serving |
| Sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and chloride | milligrams (mg) | 316 mg of calcium per bar (40 g) |
| Iodide, selenium, chromium and molybdenum | micrograms (µg) | – |
| Cholesterol | milligrams (mg) | – |
| Mineral ion content of prepackaged water or ice | parts per million (ppm) | fluoride ion 2 ppm per bottle (500 mL) [see also B.12.002, FDR] |
| Supplemental ingredients other than a vitamin or mineral (for example, amino acids, caffeine, taurine) | Refer to column 3 of the List of Permitted Supplemental ingredients for the applicable unit. |
50 mg isoleucine per ½ cup (125 mL) serving 50 mg caffeine per 45 g bar |
| All other nutrients | grams (g)
Note: for constituents of nutrients that are not permitted to be declared in the NFt or SFFt and could be found in small amounts in the food (for example, DHA), a declaration of the milligram amount may be shown as additional information in brackets directly after the gram amount. |
2 g of tryptophan per bar (80 g) 0.2 g of DHA per 1 cup (250 mL) serving |
| Non-nutrients (for example, lycopene, methylglyoxal) |
Note: section B.01.301 of the FDR does not apply to non-nutrients. The regulations do not prescribe mandatory units to be used for these declarations. However, in order to avoid a misleading declaration, the following units are recommended:
grams (g) or |
0.01 g of lycopene per 2 tbsp (30 mL) serving |
% Daily value
The Food and Drug Regulations permit a declaration of the % daily value of a nutrient, per serving of stated size, outside the NFt or SFFt, when a % daily value is required or permitted in the Nutrition Facts table and Supplemented Food Facts table [B.01.301(2), FDR]. This applies to:
- any core nutrients (that is, those listed in column 1 of the table to B.01.401and B.29.002(1), FDR), and
- any permitted additional nutrients (that is, those listed in column 1 of the table to B.01.402 and B.29.003(1), FDR)
Qualifying words
Other words that alter the meaning must not be used to qualify quantitative declarations outside the NFt or SFFt. Word sets may not be used around these statements in a manner which makes them sound like claims. Examples of unacceptable word sets in front of a quantitative statement include "only", "just", "as little as", "less than" and "more than".
Language
When a quantitative declaration of energy value and/or the amount of nutrients or supplemental ingredients per serving of stated size is made outside the Nutrition Facts table or Supplemented Food Facts table, it must be in both English and French, unless a bilingual labelling exemption applies to the product [B.01.301(3), FDR].
Location
Quantitative statements are not required to appear adjacent to the list of ingredients [B.01.008(1)(a), FDR]. If more than 1 quantitative statement appears on a label, they do not need to be grouped together, nor is there an order of precedence as to which nutrient would be shown first.
If both a front-of-package nutrition symbol and a quantitative declaration outside the Nutrition Facts table appear on the principal display panel of a prepackaged product, additional legibility and size restrictions may apply.
Size restrictions also apply if there is a quantitative declaration on the principal display panel or any continuous surface other than principal display panel on the label of a SF that carries a supplemented food caution identifier.
For more information, refer to Size, prominence, location of the section Making a nutrient content claim on food labels.
Comparative claims
Using quantitative statements to compare the level of a nutrient in 2 foods is not acceptable as this is an implied comparative nutrient content claim. For example, a table stating the amount of protein and fat in a granola bar compared to a competitor's bar would not be acceptable.