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Quantitative declarations outside the Nutrition Facts table

The energy value and the amount of many nutrients are required (or permitted) to be declared inside the Nutrition Facts table. However, quantitative declarations of energy value and the amount of nutrients per serving of stated size are also permitted outside the Nutrition Facts table, 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.

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Permitted nutrients

The nutrients permitted to be declared outside the Nutrition Facts table (NFt) include:

Information triggered by quantitative statements

Some quantitative statements may trigger additional declarations:

Manner of declaring

Units

All quantitative declarations outside the Nutrition 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].

Units required for quantitative declarations outside the Nutrition Facts table
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]
All other nutrients grams (g)

Note: for constituents of nutrients that are not permitted to be declared in the NFt 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.

0.4 g isoleucine per ½ cup (125 mL) serving

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
milligrams (mg)

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, when a % daily value is required or permitted in the Nutrition Facts table [B.01.301(2), FDR]. This applies to:

Qualifying words

Other words that alter the meaning must not be used to qualify quantitative declarations outside the NFt. 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 per serving of stated size is made outside the Nutrition 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.

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.

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