Making a nutrient content claim on food labels
Implied nutrient content claims
The Food and Drug Regulations specify that implied claims that characterize the energy value of the food or the amount of nutrient contained in the food are prohibited [B.01.502(1), FDR].
Some examples of implied nutrient content claims are:
- "non-hydrogenated";
- "cooked in non-hydrogenated oil";
- "Omega -3";
- "energy bar";
- "demi-sel/semi-salted butter";
- "fibre cereal".
Implied nutrient content claims are not acceptable on their own; they must immediately be preceded or followed by the permitted claim found in the table following B.01.513 of the FDR. The provision for the use of implied claims is found in section B.01.511 of the FDR, which allows for other words, numbers, signs or symbols that do not change the nature of the claim to precede or follow the statements or claims in the table following B.01.513 of the FDR. All of the criteria for the claim in the table following B.01.513 must also be met (see Altering the Wording of Permitted Nutrient Content Claims and Specific Nutrient Content Claim Requirements.
Implied Claim | Immediately Preceded or Followed By: |
---|---|
Omega-3 | source of omega-3 polyunsaturates |
non-hydrogenated | free of trans fatty acids |
no tropical oilsTable Note 1 | free of saturated fatty acids |
energy shake | source of energy |
fibre bar | source of fibre |
semi-salted | lightly salted or reduced in sodium |
made with soy protein | source of protein |
25% less oil | 25% less fat (reduced in fat or lower in fat claims, item 13 or 14 of table following B.01.513 of the FDR) |
Table Notes
- Table Note 1
-
Tropical oils include: coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil and cocoa butter.
Other implied claims will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to assess whether they change the nature of the prescribed nutrient content claim.
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