Definitions: nutrient content claims

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Combination foods
"Combination foods" means the category of food to which belong foods that contain as ingredients foods from more than one food group, or foods from one or more food groups mixed with foods from the category of other foods, such as pizza or lasagna [B.01.500(1), FDR].
Food group

"Food group" means one of the following categories of foods:

  1. (a) milk products, and milk product alternatives such as fortified plant-based beverages;
  2. (b) meat, poultry and fish, and alternatives such as legumes, eggs, tofu or peanut butter;
  3. (c) bread and grain products; or
  4. (d) vegetables and fruit. [B.01.500(1), FDR]

For foods that do not fall within any of the 4 categories above, see Other foods.

Health-related representation

"Health-related representation" means

  1. (a) a declaration referred to in subsection B.01.301(1) or (2); (a quantitative declaration outside the Nutrition Facts table)
  2. (b) a statement or claim referred to in subsection B.01.311(2) or (3);(a nutrient function claim)
  3. (c) a representation referred to in any of sections B.01.503 to B.01.513;(a nutrient content claim)
  4. (d) a statement or claim referred to in subsection B.01.601(1); (a health claim), or
  5. (e) any other health-related statement, logo, symbol, seal of approval or mark, other than
    1. (i) the brand name or product name of a prepackaged product, or
    2. (ii) a statement or claim referred to in any of sections D.01.004 to D.01.007 and D.02.002 to D.02.005 (statements and claims referring to the vitamin or mineral nutrient content)
      [B.01.357(3), FDR].
Manufacturer or distributor
"Manufacturer" or "distributor" means a person, including an association or partnership, who under their own name, or under a trade-, design or word mark, trade name or other name, word or mark controlled by them, sell a food or drug [A.01.010, FDR].
Nutrient
Nutrients include carbohydrate, protein, fat, fatty acids, sugars and the vitamins and minerals listed in Part D of the Food and Drug Regulations. Additionally, substances recognized as nutrients by the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, D.C. are considered nutrients.
Other food components, such a lycopene, lutein, anthocyanins, caffeine and other compounds found in foods are not considered nutrients for labelling purposes.
Nutrition symbol
"Nutrition symbol" means a symbol that is carried on the principal display panel of a prepackaged product under subsection B.01.350(1) [B.01.001(1), FDR].
Other foods

"Other foods" means the category of food to which belong foods that are not part of any food group, including:

  1. (a) foods that are mostly fats, such as butter, margarine, oil or lard
  2. (b) foods that are mostly sugars, such as jam, honey, syrup or confectionary
  3. (c) snack foods, such as potato chips and pretzels
  4. (d) beverages, such as water, tea, coffee or soft drinks, and
  5. (e) herbs, spices and condiments, such as pickles, mustard and ketchup
    [B.01.500, FDR]
Reference food of the same food group

"Reference food of the same food group" means a food that can be substituted in the diet for the food to which it is compared and that belongs to

  1. (a) the same food group as the food to which it is compared, such as cheese as a reference food for milk, or chicken as a reference food for tofu;
  2. (b) the category of other foods, if the food to which it is compared also belongs to that category, such as pretzels as a reference food for potato chips; or
  3. (c) the category of combination foods, if the food to which it is compared also belongs to that category, such as pizza as a reference food for lasagna [B.01.500(1), FDR].
Serving of stated size

For the purposes of this Part, a serving of stated size of a food shall be [B.01.002A(1)], FDR:

  1. (a) based on the food as offered for sale;
  2. (b) in either of the following cases, the net quantity of the food in the package:
    1. (i) if the quantity of food in the package can reasonably be consumed by one person at a single eating occasion, or
    2. (ii) if the package contains less than 200% of the reference amount for the food; and
  3. (c) in all other cases, the amount indicated for the food according to the criteria set out in column 3A of the Table of Reference Amounts.
Similar reference food
"Similar reference food" means a food of the same type as the food to which it is compared and that has not been processed, formulated, reformulated or otherwise modified in a manner that increases or decreases the energy value or the amount of a nutrient that is the subject of the comparison, such as whole milk as a similar reference food for partly skimmed milk or regular chocolate chip cookies as a similar reference food for fat-reduced chocolate chip cookies. [B.01.500(1), FDR].
Supplemented food

"Supplemented food" means a prepackaged product that belongs to a food category set out in column 1 of the List of Permitted Supplemented Food Categories and to which a supplemental ingredient has been added, but does not include

  1. (a) a food for special dietary use as defined in section B.24.001 and referred to in any of paragraphs B.24.003(1)(f) to (f.2) and (h) to (j), even if the food for special dietary use is also a gluten-free food referred to in paragraph B.24.003(1)(g)
  2. (b) a food that is labelled or advertised for consumption by
    1. (i) infants as defined in section B.25.001,
    2. (ii) children one year of age or older but less than four years of age, or
    3. (iii) women who are pregnant or breastfeeding;
  3. (c) any of the following foods set out in column I of the Table to section D.03.002:
    1. (i) a food referred to in any of items 1, 2.1, 2.2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9.1, 10 to 13, 15, 17 to 19, 21 to 25 and 27, and
    2. (ii) prepackaged ice
  4. (d) a food that has not been processed or that has been minimally processed; or
  5. (e) a beverage with an alcohol content of more than 0.5%; [B.01.001(1), FDR]
Supplemental ingredient
"Supplemental ingredient" means a nutrient — including a vitamin, mineral nutrient or amino acid — or any other substance listed in column 1 of the List of Permitted Supplemental Ingredients and added as an ingredient to a food in accordance with the applicable conditions of use set out in columns 2 to 5 [B.01.001(1), FDR].
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