What Information Goes in a Canadian Nutrition Facts Table?
Learn what information is required in a Canadian Nutrition Facts Table, including serving size, calories, nutrients, % Daily Value, rounding rules and bilingual formatting.
Most packaged foods sold in Canada require a Nutrition Facts Table. This familiar black-and-white table helps consumers understand the nutritional content of a food and compare it with similar products.
Creating a Canadian Nutrition Facts Table involves more than placing nutrient numbers into a template. The serving size, nutrient calculations, rounding rules, bilingual wording and prescribed Canadian format must all be considered.
Nutrition Services in Canada
Food businesses looking for a reliable Nutrition Service Canada provider may need help with nutrient calculations, serving-size determination, bilingual Nutrition Facts Tables and Canadian label requirements. A professional Food Nutrition Service Canada provider can review the formulation, ingredient information, processing method and finished yield before preparing the table. Review our Nutrition Facts Table pricing to understand the estimated cost for different types of food products
Serving Size Comes First
The serving size appears directly below the “Nutrition Facts / Valeur nutritive” heading. All the calories and nutrient values in the table are based on this amount of food.
A serving size usually includes:
A familiar household measure, such as 1 cup, 1 tablespoon, 3 crackers or 5 pieces
The corresponding metric amount in grams or millilitres
For example:
Per 1 cup (50 g)
pour 1 tasse (50 g)
The serving size is generally based on the regulated reference amount for the food category. It represents the amount typically consumed on one eating occasion. It is not necessarily a recommended amount to eat.
Choosing the correct serving size is important because it affects every value shown in the Nutrition Facts Table.
Calories
Calories indicate the amount of energy provided by one stated serving of the food.
Calories are normally calculated from the energy-producing nutrients in the product, including fat, carbohydrate and protein. The result must then be rounded according to Canadian nutrition-labelling rules.
For this reason, the calories printed in the table may not appear to match a simple calculation made from the rounded nutrient values.
Fat
The table shows the total amount of fat in grams. It also provides information about saturated and trans fats.
These nutrients are normally presented as:
Fat
Saturated fat
Trans fat
A combined percentage Daily Value is provided for saturated and trans fats.
Carbohydrate, Fibre and Sugars
Total carbohydrate is declared in grams and includes different types of carbohydrate found in the product.
The table also shows:
Fibre
Sugars
Sugars include the total sugars in the food, whether they occur naturally or are added during production. Canada’s Nutrition Facts Table does not use a separate “Added Sugars” line like the United States Nutrition Facts label.
Protein
Protein is declared in grams per serving.
In most standard Canadian Nutrition Facts Tables, a percentage Daily Value is not shown beside protein. However, additional requirements may apply when a protein-related claim is made or when the food is intended for certain age groups.
Cholesterol and Sodium
Cholesterol is declared in milligrams. A percentage Daily Value is generally not required beside cholesterol in the standard Canadian format.
Sodium is also declared in milligrams, together with its percentage Daily Value. Sodium can come from salt and from other ingredients, such as preservatives, sauces, seasonings or leavening agents.
Accurate ingredient quantities are therefore important when calculating sodium.
Potassium, Calcium and Iron
The Canadian Nutrition Facts Table includes three required minerals:
Potassium
Calcium
Iron
The amount of each mineral is declared in milligrams, along with its percentage Daily Value.
These values must be supported by suitable nutrient data. Depending on the product, the information may come from ingredient specifications, recognized food-composition databases, recipe calculations or laboratory analysis.
Understanding Percentage Daily Value
The percentage Daily Value, written as % Daily Value or % valeur quotidienne, helps consumers understand whether a stated serving contains a small or large amount of a nutrient.
A simple guide is:
5% Daily Value or less is a little
15% Daily Value or more is a lot
The percentage is calculated by comparing the amount of a nutrient in one serving with the established Canadian Daily Value for that nutrient.
Consumers can also use % Daily Value to compare similar products, provided that they first check the serving sizes.
Why Are Nutrition Values Rounded?
The values displayed in a Nutrition Facts Table are not always the exact unrounded calculation results.
Canadian regulations include specific rounding rules for:
Calories
Grams and milligrams
Percentage Daily Values
Very small nutrient amounts
For example, calories may be rounded differently depending on whether the value is below 5, between 5 and 50, or above 50 calories.
The calculations should therefore be completed using accurate underlying nutrient values before the final numbers are rounded for display. Rounding the ingredients or nutrients too early can produce inaccurate results.
The Canadian Format Must Be Followed
A Nutrition Facts Table is not a design that can be freely rearranged. Canada prescribes how the table must be presented.
Requirements may apply to:
The order of the nutrients
English and French wording
Type size and bold text
Line thickness
Spacing
Indentation
Units of measurement
Table dimensions
Percentage Daily Value placement
The explanatory statement at the bottom
A U.S. Nutrition Facts label should not be used for a product sold in Canada. Although the two labels contain some similar information, their formats, terminology, serving-size rules and nutrient declarations are different.
English and French Information
Mandatory information on most food labels sold in Canada must appear in both English and French.
The Nutrition Facts Table may use an approved bilingual Canadian format containing both languages in one table. Separate English and French tables may also be permitted when an appropriate prescribed format is used.
The translations and abbreviations should follow the required Canadian terminology rather than informal translations.
The Nutrition Facts Table Is Only One Part of the Label
A correct Nutrition Facts Table does not automatically mean the entire food label is compliant.
A complete Canadian label review may also need to consider:
The common name of the food
Net quantity
Ingredient list
Sugars-based ingredient grouping
Allergen, gluten and sulphite declarations
Name and principal place of business
Country-of-origin requirements, when applicable
Nutrition and health claims
Date marking and storage instructions
Front-of-package nutrition symbol requirements
Legibility and bilingual presentation
This is why label review can be just as important as preparing the Nutrition Facts Table itself.
Preparing Accurate Nutrition Information
To prepare a formulation-based Nutrition Facts Table, the following information is normally required:
Complete recipe with exact ingredient weights
Supplier nutrition specifications for each ingredient
Finished product weight or production yield
Moisture gain or loss during processing
Number and size of finished units
Intended serving size
Package size
Details of cooking, drying, roasting, draining or filtering
Information about waste or ingredients removed during production
Missing or estimated production information can affect the final nutrient values. Laboratory analysis may be more suitable when dependable ingredient data or finished-yield information is unavailable, or when processing significantly changes the product.
Professional Food Nutrition Services in Canada
Nutrition Facts Expert provides professional nutrition services in Canada, including formulation-based nutritional analysis, Canadian bilingual Nutrition Facts Tables, ingredient and allergen reviews, and front-of-package nutrition symbol assessments. Our nutrition analysis services help food businesses prepare accurate nutrition information and meet applicable Canadian food labelling requirements. Explore our Nutrition Facts Table pricing to learn about the estimated costs for different types of food products.
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