Food label requirements in Canada: a one-page checklist
What a prepackaged food label in Canada must show, per CFIA: common name, net quantity, ingredients, allergens, dates, nutrition, English and French.
- Independent · sells nothing
- Published October 23, 2026
- 6 sources, checked October 23, 2026
- 7 min read
Short answer
- Most prepackaged foods sold in Canada need a common name, net quantity, ingredient list with allergens, dealer name and address, and the required dates.
- Most also need a Nutrition Facts table and, where thresholds are met, a front-of-package nutrition symbol, which became mandatory on January 1, 2026.
- Mandatory information must be in English and French, though the name and address may be in either language.
- The ingredient list cannot go on the bottom of the package except in specific cases, such as ornamental containers.
- This is general information, not legal advice. Check your product in CFIA's Industry Labelling Tool.
In this guide (11 sections)
- What has to be on a food label in Canada?
- Common name: what you call the food
- Net quantity: metric, bold, and sized to the package
- Ingredients and allergens
- Name and address
- Dates and storage instructions
- Nutrition Facts and the front-of-package symbol
- English and French
- Worked example: a 250 mL jar of strawberry jam
- Common mistakes CFIA's rules point to
- What to check before you act
A prepackaged food label in Canada generally needs seven core items: a common name, a net quantity, an ingredient list with allergens, the dealer's name and address, date markings where required, nutrition labeling, and all mandatory text in English and French. Some foods also need a country of origin or other commodity-specific statements. This page condenses the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) "Food Labelling Requirements Checklist" into one page, with a worked jar example.
This is general information, not legal advice. CFIA itself describes its checklist as a self-assessment tool and says it is not a legal document. For your exact product, use CFIA's Industry Labelling Tool and the regulations it points to.
What has to be on a food label in Canada?
The table below follows the order of CFIA's checklist (page last modified January 15, 2025, checked October 23, 2026). The checklist covers core rules under the Food and Drugs Act and the Safe Food for Canadians Act and their regulations. It does not cover voluntary claims or commodity-specific rules.
| Item | Where it goes | Key rule from CFIA |
|---|---|---|
| Common name | Principal display panel (PDP) | Letters at least 1.6 mm high; 0.8 mm allowed if the principal display surface is 10 cm2 or less |
| Net quantity | PDP | Metric units, bold numerals, minimum height set by display surface size |
| List of ingredients | Any panel except the bottom (with exceptions) | Descending order by weight; one continuous surface |
| Allergens, gluten, added sulphites | In the ingredient list or a "Contains" statement | Prescribed source names; English and French must match |
| Name and principal place of business | On the label | May be in English or French |
| Date markings | Anywhere, if the label says where to find it | "Best before / meilleur avant" for durable life of 90 days or less |
| Storage instructions | With the date information | Only when storage differs from normal room temperature |
| Nutrition Facts table | Outer package | Required unless exempt or the available display surface is under 15 cm2 |
| Front-of-package nutrition symbol | PDP | Required unless exempt or below the thresholds for saturated fat, sugars or sodium |
| Bilingual text | Whole label | All mandatory information in English and French, with narrow exemptions |
| Country of origin | Varies | Check food-specific rules for dairy, honey, fish, meat, maple, fresh and processed fruit and vegetables and others |
Common name: what you call the food
The common name tells buyers what the food is. CFIA says it can be a name prescribed by regulation, the name the food is generally known by, or a descriptive name that is not generic. If the food could be mistaken for something else, the name has to describe its true nature.
It goes on the principal display panel, the part of the label a shopper sees first. Minimum letter height is 1.6 mm, dropping to 0.8 mm only on very small display surfaces of 10 cm2 or less.
Net quantity: metric, bold, and sized to the package
Net quantity goes on the PDP in metric units: grams or kilograms for solids and milliliters or liters for liquids, or a count for some foods. CFIA asks for rounding to three figures and bold numerals whose minimum height depends on the size of the principal display surface. Canadian or U.S. units can be added, but metric comes first.
The height table and how to measure your display surface are in our guide to net quantity font size in Canada.
Ingredients and allergens
A product with more than one ingredient needs an ingredient list in descending order by weight. Single-ingredient foods don't need a list, but CFIA notes a "Contains" statement may still be required, for example for sesame seeds.
Priority allergens, gluten sources and added sulphites at 10 ppm or more must be declared. CFIA's list of priority allergens covers named tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, wheat or triticale, eggs, milk, soy, mustard, and fish, crustaceans and molluscs. Gluten sources are barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat.
You can declare them in parentheses in the ingredient list or in a bilingual "Contains / Contient" statement. If you use a "Contains" statement, CFIA says every allergen, gluten source and added sulphite must appear in it at least once, even if it is already in the list.
Two placement rules catch small makers often:
- The ingredient list may not sit on the bottom panel, except in specific cases such as ornamental containers.
- It must be on one continuous surface, with nothing in between.
CFIA also sets presentation rules for the list, including a sans serif font, contrast, and characters that don't touch.
Name and address
The label must show the name and principal place of business of the person responsible for the food. CFIA's bilingual page confirms this one item may be in either English or French. Imported foods have extra options, such as "Imported by / Importé par" with a Canadian address.
Dates and storage instructions
Foods with a durable life of 90 days or less need a "best before / meilleur avant" date, or a "packaged on / empaqueté le" date if they are packaged where they are sold at retail. Storage instructions are needed only when the food must be kept somewhere other than normal room temperature, for example "Keep refrigerated / Garder réfrigéré".
The year-month-day format and the two-letter bilingual month codes are explained in our guide to the best before date format in Canada.
Nutrition Facts and the front-of-package symbol
Most prepackaged foods need a Nutrition Facts table. CFIA's checklist says it is not needed when the available display surface is under 15 cm2, and some small packages under 100 cm2 can use an alternative if they show a postal address or toll-free number. There are other exemptions too, including foods sold only by the person who made them at a farmers' market or craft show. Those are covered in farmers' market labels in Canada.
The front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol is newer. CFIA's implementation page (modified July 2, 2026) says the deadline was January 1, 2026, and that there is no enforcement discretion after that date for products made, imported or packaged at retail from then on. Foods below Health Canada's thresholds for saturated fat, sugars and sodium don't need the symbol. Health Canada's FOP labeling guide for industry sets the thresholds and artwork rules.
English and French
All mandatory information must appear in both official languages, apart from the name and address. Exemptions exist for certain local foods, test market foods, specialty foods and some shipping containers, and each one has strict conditions. Quebec adds its own French-language rules. See bilingual food labels in Canada for the details.
Worked example: a 250 mL jar of strawberry jam
Here is how the checklist maps onto a small jar sold through shops across Ontario. The jar, the maker and the numbers are invented to show the layout, not to describe a real product, and jam may also be subject to commodity-specific rules for processed fruit products.
| Checklist item | What the label could carry | Placement |
|---|---|---|
| Common name | "Strawberry Jam / Confiture de fraises" | Front panel, letters at least 1.6 mm |
| Net quantity | "250 mL" | Front panel, bold numerals at the height for the jar's display surface |
| Ingredients | "Ingredients: strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, pectin." plus the French list | Side or back, one continuous surface, not the bottom |
| Allergens | None of the priority allergens in this recipe, so no "Contains" line | Not applicable |
| Name and address | "Made by Example Preserves, 12 Sample Rd, Guelph ON" | Back panel, English or French |
| Dates | "Best before / Meilleur avant" with date, if durable life is 90 days or less | Anywhere, with the words grouped with the date |
| Storage | Required only if the sealed jar must be kept colder than normal room temperature | With the date information |
| Nutrition Facts | Bilingual table, unless an exemption applies | Outer package, one continuous surface |
| FOP symbol | Required if the jam is above the sugars threshold and not exempt | Front panel |
Whether a commercial jam is shelf-stable for more than 90 days, and so whether a best before date is legally required, is a call you make about your own product. CFIA says the regulated party determines each product's durable life.
If you are choosing label stock for a jar like this, our guide to square and round product labels compares common sizes.
Common mistakes CFIA's rules point to
- Putting the ingredient list on the bottom of a jar to save front space.
- Using "Contains" for some allergens but leaving others only in the ingredient list.
- Writing net quantity as "250ml" with no space, or adding words like "approximately", which CFIA treats as misleading.
- Translating the common name but leaving the storage instruction in English only.
- Assuming a small business is exempt from everything. The CFIA exemption pages we read list no revenue-based exemption.
What to check before you act
- Run your product through CFIA's Industry Labelling Tool, including the commodity-specific sections.
- Read the "date modified" on each CFIA page; the dates quoted here were current on October 23, 2026.
- Check Health Canada's FOP thresholds for your recipe before printing a new run.
- Check provincial rules, including Quebec's French-language rules if you sell there.
- For a final review, ask CFIA or a food regulatory professional; this page is not legal advice.
Questions people ask
What must be on a food label in Canada?
CFIA's core checklist covers the common name, net quantity, list of ingredients and allergens, name and principal place of business, date markings, nutrition labelling, bilingual text and, for some foods, country of origin. Commodity-specific rules can add more.
Does a food label in Canada have to be in French?
Mandatory information on consumer prepackaged food must be in English and French. The name and principal place of business may be in either language, and a few narrow exemptions exist, such as qualifying local foods and test market foods.
What size does the common name have to be?
CFIA's checklist sets a minimum letter height of 1.6 mm on the principal display panel. If the principal display surface is 10 cm2 or less, 0.8 mm is allowed.
Can I put the ingredient list on the bottom of the jar?
Generally no. CFIA says the ingredient list may go on any panel except the bottom, with specific exceptions such as ornamental containers.
Is the CFIA checklist legally binding?
No. CFIA calls it a self-assessment tool and says it is not a legal document, and that following it does not stop CFIA from acting on non-compliance. The regulations themselves are the legal text.
General information only, not legal or regulatory advice. Template details and rules change; confirm on the maker's or regulator's own page before you print a large run. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Sources
- Food labelling requirements checklist (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
- Industry Labelling Tool (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
- List of ingredients and allergens (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
- Bilingual food labelling (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
- Implementation of the Food and Drug Regulations amendments (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)checked October 23, 2026
- Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, SOR/2018-108 (Justice Laws Website)checked October 23, 2026