Regulatory

New Food Labelling Initiative for Canada - Defining "Made in Canada" and "Product of Canada"

On July 15, 2008 the Government of Canada announced the new labelling guidelines for the use of these claims. The revised guidelines will take effect December 31, 2008 and apply when using the following claims on the label:

Product of Canada - When the label claim "Product of Canada" is applied, all or virtually all of the significant ingredients, components, processing and labour used in the food product must be Canadian. Food products claiming "Product of Canada" must contain very little or no foreign content, with the exception of minor food additives, spices, vitamins, minerals and flavouring preparations.

Made in Canada - The "Made in Canada" claim may be used when the food product is manufactured or processed in Canada regardless of whether the ingredients are imported or domestic or a mix of both. However, this claim must always be qualified with either "Made in Canada from domestic and imported ingredients" or "Made in Canada from imported ingredients". To use these qualified claims, the last substantial transformation of the product must have occurred in Canada. The intent is to recognize the importance of value-added by Canadian ingredients and processing.

Other Qualified Claims - Qualified claims for other food products that do not meet the new Product of Canada and Made in Canada guidelines may continue to be used. In particular, Roasted in Canada, Packaged in Canada, Distilled in Canada, Processed in Canada, etc. could be used provided that they are not false or misleading. However, use of Product of Canada and the qualified Made in Canada claim is encouraged for those products that meet the guidelines in order to provide consistency and clarity for the consumer.

For more information please visit the CFIA's website at www.inspection.gc.ca or call them at 1-800-442-2342/TTY 1-800-465-7735.

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