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In Canada, the regulation of food products falls under the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). Products in food format typically fall into one of two possible categories in the Canadian market:
Conventional Foods
Conventional Foods are everyday products intended for general consumption by the entire population without added vitamins, minerals, or other supplementation beyond basic fortification (vitamin D in milk for example). They follow long-standing regulations under the FDR.
Conventional foods are intended to satisfy the basic requirements of hunger and thirst, and there are only specific allowances for fortification with vitamins and minerals, as well as specific limits of use for herbal ingredients. There is not one inclusive list of all permitted ingredients, and there may be instances where a Novelty Determination or Novel Food Assessment may be required.
Conventional foods have mandatory labelling requirements including common name, net quantity, company name & address, ingredient list, and Nutrition Facts table. New regulations with an implementation date of January 1, 2026 also require front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labelling for food products meeting/exceeding a threshold for saturated fat, sodium, or sugars.
Supplemented Foods
Supplemented Foods are prepackaged foods containing added vitamins, minerals, amino acids, caffeine, or other supplemental ingredients as permitted under the regulations. These products are regulated under the supplemented foods framework introduced in 2022, with specific requirements outlined in the FDR.
There are only 9 categories of food formats which are permitted as supplemented foods, and the supplemental ingredients must be found on an inclusive list used within the permitted levels set by Health Canada.
Supplemented foods share some labelling requirements with conventional foods, though they must use a Supplemented Food Facts table (SFFt), they may require cautionary statements, and they may require a Supplemented Food Caution Identifier (SFCI).
Our regulatory team can assist with formulation reviews to ensure your food product is using acceptable food ingredients within set limits, French translations of label content, and labelling reviews to ensure your packaging is compliant. Reach out to our team today to get a quote!