Deadline to comply: December 31, 2025
What is it?
The nutrition symbol is a visual aid developed by Health Canada to help consumers make quick and informed choices when shopping for food. The symbol is intended to easily identify foods high in nutrients of public health concern, i.e., saturated fat, sugars and sodium.
The symbol must be shown in black and white, generally in the upper half of the packaging’s front panel so that it is clearly visible. However, on horizontal packaging, the symbol must be shown in the right half.
Why?
A diet high in sugars, sodium and saturated fat is a MAJOR RISK FACTOR for obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
The countdown has begun. The food industry has until December 31, 2025, to add a nutrition symbol on the labels of foods high in the nutrients of public health concern, i.e., saturated fat, sugars and sodium.
Applies to…
The nutrition symbol is required on most prepackaged foods with a saturated fat, sugar, and/or sodium content greater than 15% of the daily value.
Applies to…
The nutrition symbol is required on most prepackaged foods with a saturated fat, sugar, and/or sodium content greater than 15% of the daily value.
Other thresholds
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- 10% of the daily value for foods that we generally eat in small quantities, i.e., those with a reference amount of 30 g or 30 ml or less, such as cereal bars, cookies and crackers, condiments (ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, etc.)
- 30% of the daily value for prepackaged main dishes with a reference amount of:
- 170 g or more (intended solely for children 1-4 y.o.)
- 200 g or more (intended for children and/or adults)
Innovation?
Not really. While new in Canada, several countries have already been using similar symbols to help their populations improve their eating habits.
In 2016, Chile was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to implement mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling.
Since then, Israel, Perou, Mexico, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina have advanced similar labelling.
Voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling is also in place in United Kingdom, France, Australia and New Zealand.
Impact
Studies conducted in 2020, estimated that the front-of-pack nutrition symbols contributed to declines of 37% of sodium purchased and 27% of sugar purchased in Chili.
In New-Zealand, the voluntary Pick the Tick program succeeded in the removal of 33 tons of salt from the food supply over the course of a year through product reformulation.
In Finland, a warning label is required on products high in salt, since the early 1990s. Since implementation of the warning, along with other related policies, the salt content of studied foods has decreased by 20-25%
What next?
Spark your creativity! Reformulate your existing products and develop better, more wholesome foods, lower in saturated fat, sugars and sodium.
Contact ACC Label’s Expert-Advisors for guidance on the new nutrition symbol labelling requirements.
