Complying with Canada’s Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling Rules

What You Need to Know:

Starting January 1, 2026, many prepackaged food products sold in Canada will require a “High in” front-of-pack symbol if they exceed limits for:

• Saturated fat
• Sugars
• Sodium

This is mandatory under Health Canada’s new regulations and impacts both product development and packaging design.

Who Does Need to Comply?

If your product exceeds threshold levels for any one or more of the nutrients above, and is not on the exemption list, you’ll need to include the FOP symbol. This is based on the Daily Values (DV), which represent the maximum intake for these nutrients. The thresholds for requiring a FOP label include:

• General packaged foods → must exceed 15% of the Daily Value (DV) for saturated fat, sugars, or sodium.
• Small serving sizes → foods with ≤ 30g or 30mL must exceed 10% DV.
• Main dishes → foods with ≤ 200g serving size must exceed 30% DV.

Exemptions (You Might Be Off the Hook If…)

Products that may be exempt from the symbol include:

• Small packages (under 15 cm² label space) or tech-exempt items (e.g., single-use restaurant portions, creamers)
• Single-ingredient raw meats/poultry/fish without a nutrition facts table
• Whole produce (like apples or carrots)
• Plain dairy (plain milk, yogurt, cheese)
• Certain items like butter, salt, honey, and maple syrup

Make sure to verify your category against the full exemption list.

Packaging Design Requirements:

If your product does require the symbol, here’s what you need to factor into your label layout:

• Positioning: Upper half of the principal display panel (top right if the label is wider than tall)
• Language: Must be bilingual (EN/FR) either within one symbol or as two symbols
• Size & Clarity: Must be large enough to be easily legible; regulated minimum sizes apply
• Consistent Formatting: Use the official black-and-white symbol with magnifying glass icon
• Copy: “High in” + Nutrient(s), with “Health Canada / Santé Canada” at the bottom

Tip: Build this space into your label layout early, it’s non-negotiable and must remain unaltered.

What to Do Now:

1. Audit your current SKUs – Are any over the nutrient thresholds?
2. Check for exemptions
3. Work with your packaging partner (👋 that’s us!) to build in compliant space and visual hierarchy for the symbol
4. Start early – Don’t wait until late 2025. Integrate this into your packaging refresh cycles

See the Health Canada website for the official Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide.

Associated Labels & Packaging can help! Get in touch with us and let's work together to assure your packaging is compliant and ready today.