Nutrition Facts Labels

Barcode Graphics Inc (BGI), Canada’s largest barcode services provider, also offers Nutrition Facts Table/Panel (Canadian NFTs, or U.S. NFPs) Labels.

Manufacturers, consultants, designers, and pre-media operations can utilize this service to generate most of the Nutrition Facts label formats outlined in the Canadian Food and Drug Regulations, or in the U.S. CFR Title 21 and Title 9 regulations.

Nutrition Facts Labels Canada

NFTs/NFPs can also be used to address CFIA Corrective Action Reports that cite regulatory non-compliance (Canadian Food and Drug Regulations, Canadian Packaging and Labelling Regulations, etc), or to correct a label on packaging stopped at the Canada/U.S. border.

Barcode Graphics can provide assistance with designing compliant labels, as well as doing limited, or comprehensive, Package Reviews.

To complement our NFT/NFP service, BGI also offers ADS Analysis Service. Our ADS Reports are driven by customer supplied Adobe Illustrator package designs, or dielines, supplied to us via e-mail. These reports calculate ADS per government regulations/guidelines and provides a list of the NFT formats which are permitted on the package. The software also provides fit analysis to determine if a permitted format will fit in the package’s panels.

This service is but one of many that Barcode Graphics’ offers related to Nutrition Facts labelling. Barcode Graphics also supplies EPS/PDF barcode masters, barcoded labels, barcode verifiers, scanners and consulting services. To get more information on these and other services provided by Barcode Graphics, contact us at 800-263-3669.

 

In Canada, serving sizes and nutrition content information presented in nutrition facts labels can benefit the consumer. Initially offered in two phases, new labels on prepackaged foods became mandatory in 2007 to provide more straightforward information for Canadians on specific nutrients and their foods. The Nutrition Facts Labels Canada helps consumers understand the number of calories in a product and the nutrients present in foods. They can compare products while selecting if they have special needs.

 

Components of the Nutrition Facts Label

A nutrition facts label in Canada must include the following:

Nutrition Facts Table: This section provides information regarding the amount per serving, calories, and percentage of Daily Value (% DV) for 13 nutrient classes.

Ingredient List: All ingredients are in order according to the parts used on each constituent, starting with the most significant portion used. This is especially helpful for any person who has special needs concerning foods that you should avoid due to health issues, like a terminally ill person or a person with special diet requirements.

Nutrition Claims (optional): For these, the claims can be nutrient content claim (such as ‘high fiber’) or health claims, which are disease risk reduction (for instance, low in saturated fats reduces the risk of heart disease). Although not legislated, they afford further information about the nutrients it contains.

 

How to Use the Nutrition Facts Label?

To make the most of nutrition facts labels Canada, start by looking at the serving size at the top of the label. All nutritional information is based on this amount, so adjusting for actual portion sizes is essential. After that, consider the calories and the %DV to determine how large a serving is in your daily meal plan. % DV of 5% or less means that the food product is low in that nutrient.

Regarding nutrient density, you may need more of certain elements such as fiber, vitamins A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Try avoiding foods that contain high levels of nutrients commonly associated with illnesses once consumed in large amounts. These include fat-saturated and trans, sodium, and cholesterol. For instance, while comparing two cereals, the one containing a higher % DV of fiber and a lower % DV of sodium is preferred.

 

Benefits of Understanding Nutrition Facts Labels Canada

Nutrition facts labels Canada can be used more effectively to improve your eating habits. For example, if the patient’s primary concerns are controlling cholesterol or blood pressure, use food that low in sodium and cholesterol to assist them. Holding these labels, Canadians have received a vital means for choosing a healthier lifestyle that will meet their requirements.

 

Common Nutrition Facts Labels Supplier FAQs

What is a Nutrition Facts label?
You can think of the Nutrition Facts panel of a food item as an item’s “soul.” It really tells you almost everything you need to know about what you are eating. The panel is broken down into different sections and lists the number of calories you are consuming plus the percentages of nutrients, like vitamins, heart-beneficial minerals and fats, and an assortment of other goodies.

Why are the Nutrition Facts labels so essential?
When it comes to deciding what to eat, the Nutrition Facts label is vital for consumers. They pore over it, line by line, to see what is in their food and how much of it there is. Are there healthy amounts of protein, calcium, and other nutrients? Or is this a salt blowout? What’s the makeup of the fats? And what kind of sweetener is likely to have been used? And they want to be able to see for themselves exactly what they think is either right or wrong with the other ingredients.

How can one interpret a Nutrition Facts label? What are the steps to decode its array of numbers, serving sizes, and ingredient names?
To begin, scrutinize the portion size and the number of servings the package holds. Then, estimate the number of calories you’re going to take in per serving or per container. But don’t stop there. You should also run your eyes over the ingredients list for what the food in question is made of, especially the number and types of fats it contains. If you want to avoid a product, is it because of the kind(s) of fat it has? If so, are you right, or are you likely to overstate your case?

Why is the % Daily Value on a Nutrition Facts label important?
Each serving of food we eat supplies a certain amount of a nutrient. What we’re really interested in when we’re using the “% Daily Value” as a tool in our kitchen is whether the serving of food we’re about to eat has a lot or a little of any particular nutrient. “The % Daily Value is very effective for making estimates in this regard,” says Angela J. Fisette, PhD, a nutrition scientist at Purdue University.

When looking at Nutrition Facts labels, what things should I compare?
It is important to look closely at the figures on food labels and the differences between the foods you are comparing. Be aware that the serving sizes are not always the same between products. Check to see how many servings the package contains and how much you actually eat. When comparing calories, know that fats give more than double the energy that carbohydrates (sugars and starches) and proteins do. Probing into the 13 essential vitamins and 9 essential minerals is not necessary here, but know that these nutrients are supposed to come in relatively equal sub-values inside the 2,000 or 2,500 calories divided mostly among three meals and a snack and that they are relatively free of trans fats and cholesterol.