Transition Period for Nutrition Fact Table (NFT) and Ingredient Listing Ending Soon

Posted October 12, 2022

By: Joanna Chudyk, Regulatory Affairs Specialist, email

The deadline to comply with the Nutrition Facts Table (NFT) changes and revised ingredient listing requirements for food is fast approaching. These amendments to food labeling requirements were originally published back in 2016 and provided a 5-year transition period for the industry to comply. Due to the unexpected challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic the transition period was extended to December 14, 2022.

The changes were part of an effort to improve the readability of food labels to assist the Canadian population in making more informed decisions about the food products they consume. The revisions apply to the NFT, serving size presentation, and ingredient listings. All of the modifications will ultimately make it easier to compare two products of the same food category.

NFTs will now require a more standardized approach to reporting serving size. Historically, serving sizes of a particular food type were not defined and were rarely presented with a realistic amount of the product that would be consumed in one sitting. As a result, the “Table of Reference Amounts for Food” was developed and now serves as a standard method for a variety of food categories. Moreover, the changes also require a more prominent presentation of the caloric content of the food and a listing of the % daily value for total sugars.

Other notable changes include the grouping of sugar-based ingredients within the ingredient listing, listing food colors by their common names, and the separation of ingredients by bullets or commas.

There are several other requirements also part of this amendment. If you would like to learn more or need assistance with compliance, contact one of our experts today!

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