Health Canada Issues Long-Awaited Regulations For Front-of-Package Nutrition Labelling

Earlier this year, after years of consultation and consumer research, Health Canada published Regulations amending the Food and Drug Regulations to introduce new front-of-package nutrition labelling (FOPNL) for packaged foods high in sodium, sugar or saturated fat. Health Canada has indicated that the intended purpose of FOPNL is to help Canadian consumers make health-conscious decisions when purchasing prepackaged foods, on the basis that sodium, sugar and saturated fat have each been scientifically linked to various chronic diseases.

Scope of the FOPNL: "Prepackaged" Foods

The new labelling requirements imposed by the FOPNL apply specifically to "prepackaged" foods. This terminology refers to food products that are packaged in a container in the manner in which they would ordinarily be sold to, used or purchased by, a consumer. Prepackaged foods include those foods that are packaged in a way that may reasonably be expected to be obtained by consumers, without