Food Sold Through E-Commerce: CFIA Guidance Coming Soon

Posted May 20, 2022

By: Joanna Chudyk, Regulatory Affairs Specialist, email

It is no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase of food sold through e-commerce, but as most Canadians have noticed, there are several challenges one can encounter when making food purchases online. For example, low quality images of the product make it difficult to read the Nutrition Facts Table, or the full ingredient list is not available. Important allergen information may even be completely omitted.

To combat these sorts of issues, CFIA and Health Canada will be publishing a Guidance Document for industry to use to ensure important information about food products are easily accessible for consumers prior to the point of purchase.

The consultation for the guidance was published on May 9th and will remain open until July 8th to allow all Canadians the opportunity to provide feedback. The key principles of the Guidance Document will be as follows:

– Ensuring the same information that appears on the physical label is available to view on the e-commerce platform. For example, the net quantity, nutrition labelling, list of ingredients, etc.
– Allergen information/precautionary statements should be available.
– Images of food products should be provided to assist consumers in recognizing the product and advising whether the consumer can expect the product to look different when received, where applicable.
– Provide information in both official languages (English and French).
– Food information should be consistent, clear and legible, and easy to navigate on the e-commerce platform.

Dell Tech is available to assist you in bringing your product into compliance before these requirements come into place. We also help those new to the food industry who wish to bring their product(s) into Canada. Contact us today for a quote on our services!

Contact:
Dell Tech
Joanna Chudyk, M. Sc.
Regulatory Affairs Specialist
joanna@delltech.com