Specific nutrient content claim requirements
Dietary fibre claims
Note: the spelling "fibre" or "fiber" are both acceptable in the English statements or claims [B.01.503(4), FDR].
Comparative claims for dietary fibre may be made under the conditions described for "More fibre" claims in the Summary table of permitted fibre claims, item d) below. The claims are not restricted to fibre from the same source.
Nutrient content claims for dietary fibre may be made for foods which are considered to be sources of dietary fibre. Both naturally occurring and accepted novel fibre sources may be eligible for fibre claims. The terms "good" and "excellent", because they imply a judgment regarding the nature and value of the fibre in addition to quantity, are not permitted.
If a food contains a novel fibre source that has not been reviewed by Health Canada, or for which the data does not support the efficacy of the fibre, the amount of fibre contributed by this ingredient must not be included in the declaration of the dietary fibre content, and no fibre claims may be made for it.
Further information on dietary fibre, including links to Health Canada policies and list of accepted dietary fibres, can be found in Dietary fibre under the Elements within the Nutrition Facts table section.
Fibre sources
Wheat bran: When the source of bran is not named, the term "bran" is considered a reference to wheat bran. Wheat bran contains approximately 42% dietary fibre.
Oat bran: Oat bran is the product derived from the dehulled oat kernels (oat groat) which provides, on a dry basis, a minimum content of 13% total dietary fibre, of which at least 30% must be soluble fibre. The moisture content of the product must not exceed 12%. A product may be represented as a source of oat bran, provided it contains at least 2 g dietary fibre derived from oat bran per reference amount and serving of stated size.
Milled corn bran: Traditionally, milled corn bran contains 60 to 65% dietary fibre. Products may be represented as sources of corn bran, provided the product contains at least 2 g dietary fibre from conventionally-milled corn bran.
Rice bran: No dietary fibre claims may be made for rice bran, which is considered a safe food ingredient but whose efficacy as a dietary fibre has not been established.
Summary table of permitted fibre claims
Note: The claims in quotation marks in column 1 are those which are permitted by the Food and Drug Regulations. The reference amounts are found in the Table of reference amounts for food.
| Column 1 Claim | Column 2 Conditions - Food | Column 3 Conditions - Label or advertisement | Column 4 FDR reference |
|---|---|---|---|
|
a) Source of fibre |
(1) The food contains 2 g or more of |
Must comply with requirements and conditions for making a nutrient content claim. Nutrition Facts table is required on Foods usually exempt from displaying a Nutrition Facts table by B.01.401(2)(a) and (b) of the FDR [B.01.401(3)(e)(ii), FDR]. When used in an advertisement, must comply with the Advertising requirements for nutrient content claims. |
B.01.401(3)(e)(ii) |
|
b) High source of fibre |
(1) The food contains 4 g or more of |
See conditions set out in column 3 for item a) of this table. |
Table following B.01.513, item 42 |
|
c) Very high source of fibre |
(1) The food contains 6 g or more of |
See conditions set out in column 3 for item a) of this table. |
Table following B.01.513, item 43 |
|
d) More fibre |
(1) The food contains at least: |
The following are identified: |
Table following B.01.513, item 44 |
For an example on identifying the validity of a fibre claim, please refer to Nutrient content claim examples.
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