November 2005

Mapping the Process - "New Product Development"

Labelling

i)  The Process:  To Develop A Label For A Pre-Packaged Food

Note: The subsequent labelling section is to be followed in accordance with:

• Information: Basic Labelling Requirements for Pre-Packaged Foods
• A copy of this document can be attained by contacting:

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Food Production and Inspection Branch
269 Main Street
Winnipeg, MB R3C 1B2
Ph (204) 983-8907
Fax (204) 984-6008

Definition: Pre-Packaged Foods

A pre-packaged product is defined as any food that is contained in a package in the manner in which it is ordinarily sold to, used by, or purchased by a person or by a consumer without being repackaged.

Note:  Unless specified otherwise, the minimum type height on the label is 1.6mm (1/16 inch) based on the lower case letter "o".

LABEL REQUIREMENTS FOR PRE-PACKAGED PRODUCTS

a)   Common Name

• Defined as the name prescribed for that food by the Food and Drug Act (i.e. "Mayonnaise").
• If the name of the food is not prescribed by any provincial or federal regulation, the common name is the name by which the food is commonly known (i.e. "Orange Drink").

b)   Net Quantity

• Net quantity must be declared in metric units on the principal display panel in both French and English.
• Net quantity must be indicated by:

          a)   Volume -- i.e. Litres

          b)    Weight -- i.e. Grams

• The decision to use the term volume, weight, or count is dependent on the product type, i.e. Liquid vs Solid.
• Optional terms "net weight" must appear in both French and English.
• Refer to guidelines for bilingual metric symbols.
• The size of numerals varies according to the amount of principal display surface.

c)   List of Ingredients

• The list of ingredients must appear in both French and English. The ingredients must be clear and prominently displayed on any label panel except the bottom.
• Ingredients and their components must appear by their common names in the list of ingredients on a food label.
• Refer to Appendix II, III, and IV of the Basic Labelling Requirements for Pre-packaged Foods (Refer To: Regulations Section) for specific information on the correct names to be listed on the food label.
• Ingredients must appear in descending order of proportion by weight in food.
• Exceptions include: spices, seasoning, herbs (except salt), natural and artificial flavours, flavour enhancers, food additives, vitamin and mineral nutrients and their salts.
• The exceptions may be shown at the end of the ingredient list in any order.

Note:    Certain food preparations and mixtures are exempt from a declaration of most of their ingredients and components.

Refer to Appendix V and VI of the Basic Labelling Requirements for Prepackaged Foods (Refer to Regulations Section) for the conditions specifying these exemptions.

d)  Name and Address

• The name and address of the person or party responsible for the manufacturing of products must be declared on any label panel except the bottom.
• The name can be stated in either French or English. The address should be complete enough for postal purposes.

e)  Durable Life

• Defined to be the period starting on the day a food is packaged for retail sale, that the food will retain its normal wholesomeness, palatability and nutritional value, when stored under appropriate conditions.
• A best before date, along with storage instructions, if different from normal room storage conditions must be declared in both French and English.

Note:Some prepackaged products may also be subject to the labelling requirements of the Canada Agricultural Products Act, The Meat Inspection Act and the Fish Inspection Act.

f)  Additional Labelling Information

• The three main types of labels are: Vinyl, Milar and Paper.
• Paper labels are the most common type of label and the least expensive. The decision to use a particular label is most often based on cost.

Temperature Notes

• If applying a label to a frozen product, a freezer adhesive is required.
• A freezer adhesive is not required if the product was at room temperature when labelled.
• Thus, the point of application does not matter, only whether the product is frozen before applying the label.