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Selling food in Canada

In Canada, food is governed by the Food and Drugs Act and the Food and Drug Regulations, set by Health Canada, and by the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces both. Mandatory label information is in English and French, and importers need a Safe Food for Canadians licence.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Main rules
Food and Drug Regulations; Safe Food for Canadians Regulations
Who sets standards
Health Canada
Who enforces
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
Label language
English and French, with narrow exemptions
Importing
A Safe Food for Canadians licence to import
Traceability records
Kept two years, produced within 24 hours

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Is any ingredient a novel food, or an additive that needs to be on a permitted list? Read more
  2. 2What does the label have to show, in English and French? Read more
  3. 3Which allergens, gluten sources and sulphites must be declared? Read more
  4. 4Does it need a Nutrition Facts table or a front-of-package symbol? Read more
  5. 5Does the business need a Safe Food for Canadians licence and a preventive control plan? Read more
  6. 6Can the food be traced one step back and one step forward, and recalled? Read more
  7. 7Is the packaging safe for the food it holds? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Core labelling, language and allergens

The core particulars on a consumer prepackaged food, the bilingual rule, and how allergens are declared.

  • Core labelling covers the common name, net quantity in metric units, the list of ingredients with allergens, the name and principal place of business, date markings and storage instructions, nutrition labelling, and country of origin for certain foods.
  • Mandatory information on consumer prepackaged food is shown in both English and French; the name and principal place of business may be in either (section 206, SFCR; B.01.012, FDR).
  • Specialty, local and test market foods may be labelled in one official language when they meet the regulatory definitions and conditions.
  • Food allergens are proteins from tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, wheat or triticale, eggs, milk, soybeans, crustaceans, molluscs, fish and mustard seeds; they, gluten sources and added sulphites of 10 ppm or more are declared by their prescribed source names.
  • Imported food may show the Canadian dealer preceded by "Imported by / importé par" or "Imported for / importé pour", or the foreign name and address.
  • A "best before" date is required where the durable life is 90 days or less, unless exempt.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your English and French label against the core particulars, with the provision beside each, so a gap shows before a retailer or the CFIA finds it. Ask about this

Nutrition Facts table and front-of-package symbol

The nutrition information most prepackaged foods carry.

  • Most prepackaged foods carry a Nutrition Facts table declaring energy and 12 core nutrients, with serving sizes aligned to regulated reference amounts.
  • Foods with an available display surface under 15 cm² are exempt; some small packages under 100 cm² may give a postal address or toll-free number instead.
  • A front-of-package nutrition symbol is mandatory on prepackaged foods that meet or exceed set levels for saturated fat, sugars or sodium (B.01.350, FDR).
  • The symbol is black and white, shows a magnifying glass, and appears in English and French, as one bilingual symbol or two separate ones.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the nutrient analysis behind each table with the product and shows when a recipe change means the table or symbol needs checking. Ask about this

Novel foods, additives, contaminants and packaging

What may go into the food, and what must not come out of its package.

  • Health Canada assesses the safety of novel foods proposed for sale in Canada; manufacturers submit scientific data before such foods can be authorised for sale.
  • Food additives must appear on one of Health Canada's 15 Lists of Permitted Food Additives, each incorporated by reference into a Marketing Authorization; other uses need a food additive submission.
  • Maximum levels for chemical contaminants are established by Health Canada and enforceable by the CFIA. Where no level is set, the Food and Drugs Act still prohibits selling food with any poisonous or harmful substance in or on it.
  • No person shall sell any food in a package that may yield to its contents any substance that may be injurious to health (B.23.001, FDR).

How we help: Compliant Always reads recipes, specifications and lab reports against the permitted lists and maximum levels, and keeps the evidence for each ingredient and package with the product. Ask about this

Licences and preventive controls

Who needs a Safe Food for Canadians licence, and the plan that goes with it.

  • Certain food businesses need a Safe Food for Canadians licence, applied for through My CFIA, for activities such as importing, manufacturing, processing, treating, preserving, grading, packaging or labelling.
  • Food may not be imported unless the importer is authorised by a licence (subsection 5(2), SFCR).
  • A licence holder prepares, keeps and maintains a written preventive control plan for each activity identified in the licence (section 86, SFCR).
  • A person who sends food across provincial or territorial borders is responsible for checking it was made, packaged and labelled by a licence holder.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps each supplier's licence details and your preventive control plan documents with the product, dated, and shows which ones are missing. Ask about this

Traceability, complaints and recalls

Records that let a food be traced and recalled.

  • Traceability documents record the common name, a lot code or other unique identifier, and the name and principal place of business, plus who supplied the food and who it was provided to (section 90, SFCR).
  • Consumer prepackaged food not packaged at retail must carry a lot code (subsection 92(2), SFCR).
  • Documents are kept for two years, accessible in Canada, and provided to the CFIA within 24 hours of a request.
  • Operators keep a recall procedure, run a recall simulation at least once every 12 months, and notify the Minister immediately when food presenting a risk to health should be recalled (section 84, SFCR).

How we help: Compliant Always ties each document to the lot and supplier it came from, so the step back and the step forward are on record when the CFIA asks. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
BrandThe label, its English and French text, and what its claims say.The label read against the particulars, with the paperwork behind it in one place.
Licence holder (manufacturer, packager, labeller)The preventive control plan, traceability documents and recall procedure for its activities.Plans, records and recall simulations kept with each product and dated.
ImporterA licence to import, and the same complaint and recall duties for imported food.Suppliers' documents read and dated before the goods arrive.
RetailerTraceability documents for food it sells at retail.Supplier records ready when the CFIA or a customer asks.

Provinces and territories

The federal Acts and regulations in these guides apply across Canada. Provincial regulations may add labelling requirements for products sold within a province, and Quebec has additional requirements on the use of French on products marketed there.

Alcohol is largely provincial: provincial and territorial liquor boards set their own requirements, and liquor imported into a province is consigned to the provincial body authorised to sell it.

Shipping out of Canada?

Exporting food from Canada

Questions businesses ask

Who regulates food labelling in Canada?
Health Canada sets food standards under the Food and Drugs Act and the Food and Drug Regulations. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency enforces them, together with the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations.
Do food labels in Canada have to be in English and French?
Yes. Mandatory information on consumer prepackaged food is shown in both official languages. The name and principal place of business may be in either. Specialty, local and test market foods can qualify for an exemption.
Which allergens must be declared on Canadian food labels?
Proteins from tree nuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, wheat or triticale, eggs, milk, soybeans, crustaceans, molluscs, fish and mustard seeds, plus gluten sources and added sulphites at 10 ppm or more, by their prescribed source names.
Do I need a licence to import food into Canada?
Yes. Under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, food may not be imported unless the importer is authorised by a Safe Food for Canadians licence, applied for through My CFIA.
What is a preventive control plan?
A written plan that a Safe Food for Canadians licence holder prepares, keeps and maintains for each activity identified in its licence, under section 86 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations.
Does every food need a Nutrition Facts table in Canada?
Most prepackaged foods do. Some are exempt, such as foods with an available display surface under 15 cm², and infant formula must not use the Nutrition Facts heading; Division 25 sets its own nutrition labelling.
What is the front-of-package nutrition symbol?
A black and white magnifying-glass symbol, in English and French, required on prepackaged foods that meet or exceed set levels for saturated fat, sugars or sodium. Some foods, such as plain milk and fruits and vegetables without additions, are exempt.
Does a new ingredient need approval before it is sold in Canada?
If it is a novel food, yes. Health Canada assesses the safety of novel foods, on detailed scientific data from the manufacturer, before they can be authorised for sale.
How long must food traceability records be kept in Canada?
Two years after the food was provided to another person or sold at retail. They must be accessible in Canada and provided to the CFIA within 24 hours of a request, or a shorter or longer period it sets.
What must a food business do if it needs to recall a food?
If the food presents a risk of injury to health, notify the Minister immediately and implement the recall procedure. Operators also run a recall simulation at least once every 12 months.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Canada?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in, including Canada's federal rules and the bilingual labelling they share. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Canada and what your paperwork needs to show.

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