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Bilingual EN/FR (Schedule K.1): Canada nutrition label

Bilingual EN/FR (Schedule K.1), the Canadian nutrition label under Food and Drug Regulations B.01.401 (as amended by SOR/2016-305) and SOR/2022-168 (front-of-package symbol), 14 mandatory nutrients, per serving as sold, English and French on pack. Generate a compliant label free.

Reviewed against Food and Drug Regulations B.01.401 (as amended by SOR/2016-305) and SOR/2022-168 (front-of-package symbol) · Page updated August 16, 2026

Jurisdiction
Canada (federally regulated packaged food)
Regulation
Food and Drug Regulations B.01.401 (as amended by SOR/2016-305) and SOR/2022-168 (front-of-package symbol)
Effective
SOR/2016-305 in force 14 December 2016, transition ended 14 December 2021 (CFIA enforcement discretion ran to 14 December 2023); SOR/2022-168 front-of-package symbol mandatory from 1 January 2026
Generate a Canada labelCanada labelling guide

Nutrition labelling requirements in Canada

Packaged food sold in Canada must carry a nutrition declaration under Food and Drug Regulations B.01.401 (as amended by SOR/2016-305) and SOR/2022-168 (front-of-package symbol). This page covers the Canada - Bilingual EN/FR (Schedule K.1) format: Health Canada DVs, bilingual labels, "+ Trans" combined row. A compliant Canadian nutrition label declares 14 mandatory nutrients: calories, fat / lipides (lipides / fat), saturated / saturés (saturés / saturated), + trans / trans, cholesterol / cholestérol (cholestérol / cholesterol), sodium, carbohydrate / glucides (glucides / carbohydrate), fibre / fibres (fibres / fibre), sugars / sucres (sucres / sugars), protein / protéines (protéines / protein), vitamin d / vitamine d (vitamine d / vitamin d), calcium, iron / fer (fer / iron) and potassium. Values are declared per serving as sold, with energy in kcal, and sodium rather than salt. The panel is headed "[object Object]". English and French must both appear on pack. Front-of-pack warnings apply. The required scheme is ca high in. NFL builds a print-ready Canadian nutrition label from your recipe, applying the rounding rules and reference intakes for Canada automatically, and exports it as PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG or EPS.

Official regulation

Citation
Food and Drug Regulations B.01.401 (as amended by SOR/2016-305) and SOR/2022-168 (front-of-package symbol)
Effective
SOR/2016-305 in force 14 December 2016, transition ended 14 December 2021 (CFIA enforcement discretion ran to 14 December 2023); SOR/2022-168 front-of-package symbol mandatory from 1 January 2026
Scope
Canada (federally regulated packaged food)
Source

Key facts

Language requirement
Bilingual English + French, equal prominence
Front-of-pack symbol
Magnifying-glass symbol effective Jan 1, 2026 for high sat fat / sugar / sodium
Daily Value basis
Health Canada 2016 DVs; matches FDA on most nutrients (2,300 mg sodium)
Trans fat
Combined "Saturated + Trans" row on the NFT

Rounding + threshold rules (sample)

  • Calories: under 5 declare 0; 5 to 50 to the nearest 5; above 50 to the nearest 10 (B.01.401 table)
  • Sodium in mg, never salt in g; %DV footnote: 5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot

What B.01.401 of the Food and Drug Regulations puts in the table

Section B.01.401(1) of the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) requires a Nutrition Facts table that contains only the information listed under that section, in the prescribed wording, units and manner of expression. It is headed "Nutrition Facts" / "Valeur nutritive" and opens with the serving size as a household measure plus the metric amount in brackets, then Calories and twelve core nutrients in a fixed order: fat, saturated + trans, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, calcium and iron.

Fat, saturated + trans, fibre, sugars, sodium, potassium, calcium and iron carry a % Daily Value; calories, cholesterol, carbohydrate and protein are amounts only. Saturated and trans fat are declared in grams on separate lines but share one %DV against a combined daily value of 20 g. The last item in the B.01.401 table is the mandatory footnote "5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot" ("5 % ou moins c'est peu, 15 % ou plus c'est beaucoup").

Percentages are calculated against Health Canada's Table of Daily Values, incorporated by reference into the FDR; the current version is dated 20 October 2022 and has separate columns for infants, children one to under four, and everyone four and older. Illustrative adult values: sodium 2,300 mg, sugars 100 g, fibre 28 g, potassium 3,400 mg. B.01.401 also fixes rounding, for example calories above 50 to the nearest 10.

Source: Food and Drug Regulations, C.R.C., c. 870, B.01.401; CFIA, Information within the Nutrition Facts table; Health Canada, Table of Daily Values.

Format families, the 15 percent rule and bilingual presentation

The layout must follow a figure in the Directory of Nutrition Facts Table Formats, incorporated by reference (it replaced Schedule L in 2016). CFIA groups the figures into seven families: standard, horizontal and linear for one serving as sold; simplified, where most core nutrients are zero; simplified single-serving; dual for foods that need preparation; and aggregate and dual formats for packages holding different kinds or amounts of food.

Choice within a family is ranked. You must use the largest version that fits on 15 percent of the available display surface and on one continuous surface, exhausting every first-level option before a second-level option may be considered. B.01.454 steps standard-format nutrient type down from 8 points to 7, then 6 points condensed. Characters and rules must be 100 percent black on a white or neutral background with at most a 5 percent tint (B.01.450(2)), and the table may not run over an edge onto a second panel (B.01.451).

On language, B.01.012(2) of the FDR and section 206 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations require mandatory information in English and French. For the table that means one bilingual figure, in which the language order may be reversed (B.01.450(6)), or two unilingual tables on the same continuous surface or on surfaces of equal size and prominence. No other language may appear inside the table.

Source: CFIA, Nutrition Facts table formats; CFIA, Presentation of the Nutrition Facts table; CFIA, Bilingual food labelling.

SOR/2022-168: the front-of-package symbol and its 1 January 2026 deadline

SOR/2022-168, the Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (Nutrition Symbols, Other Labelling Provisions, Vitamin D and Hydrogenated Fats or Oils), was registered on 28 June 2022 and came into force on publication on 20 July 2022. Its transitional provision ceased to have effect on 31 December 2025, so the symbol has been mandatory since 1 January 2026, with no CFIA enforcement discretion after that date.

New sections B.01.350 to B.01.358 set the trigger: saturated fat, sugars or sodium at or above the following share of the daily value:

  • 15 percent for most foods with a reference amount over 30 g or 30 mL;
  • 10 percent for foods with a reference amount of 30 g or 30 mL or less;
  • 30 percent for main dishes with a reference amount of 200 g or more.

The symbol is a black magnifying glass with "High in" / "Élevé en", one bar per nutrient over the threshold, and the attribution "Health Canada / Santé Canada". It is black and white only (B.01.351), sits in the upper half of the principal display panel, or the right half if the panel is wider than tall (B.01.355), and is sized by panel area from the Directory of Nutrition Symbol Specifications. Unilingual and bilingual versions are permitted, and B.01.358 prohibits any look-alike representation.

Health Canada groups exemptions three ways. Health-related: plain fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, and cheese, yogurt, kefir and buttermilk with enough calcium, lost if saturated fat, sugars or sodium are added. Technical: butter, fats and oils, sugars and salt. Practical: display surface under 15 cm², shipping containers and restaurant portions.

Source: SOR/2022-168, Canada Gazette Part II, 20 July 2022; Health Canada, Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling for industry; Directory of Nutrition Symbol Specifications; CFIA, Front-of-package nutrition symbol.

Exemptions under B.01.401(2) and how a product loses them

B.01.401(2) lists products that need not carry a table. Three are always exempt: fresh vegetables or fruit with no added ingredients, individual portions intended solely to be served by a restaurant, and milk or cream in refillable glass containers. Packages with an available display surface under 15 cm² (B.01.469) never lose their exemption either.

The rest are usually exempt but lose it under B.01.401(3): foods whose whole table would read zero, beverages over 0.5 percent alcohol, raw single-ingredient meat, poultry and fish, foods prepared at the retail store where sold, foods sold only by their maker at a farmers' market, fair, road-side stand or similar venue, single servings for immediate consumption, and retail-packaged products under 200 cm² labelled with a sticker. The exemption ends when the label references energy or a nutrient, carries a nutrient content, function or health claim, or uses "nutrition facts" or "valeur nutritive", and for ground meat or products with added vitamins or minerals.

Under B.01.467 a product with an available display surface under 100 cm² may omit the table if the label shows, in at least 8-point type, a postal address or toll-free number for obtaining the nutrition information, which must then be supplied free in the official language requested. Products that have lost their exemption under B.01.401(3) cannot use it.

Source: CFIA, Exemptions from the Nutrition Facts table; FDR B.01.401(2) and (3); FDR B.01.467.

SOR/2016-305 and the dates that actually applied

Today's table comes from SOR/2016-305, registered 2 December 2016 and in force on publication on 14 December 2016. It made potassium, calcium and iron mandatory with milligram amounts, dropped vitamins A and C, gave sugars a %DV based on 100 g, put Calories in larger bold type, added the footnote and tied serving sizes to the Table of Reference Amounts for Food.

The regulatory transition ended on 14 December 2021, and the former rules stopped applying the next day. CFIA then ran two enforcement phases: education and compliance promotion until 14 December 2022, then enforcement discretion until 14 December 2023 only for companies with a detailed written compliance plan. Since 14 December 2023 all regulated parties must comply and CFIA inspects manufacturers, importers and retail packers; stock packaged before 14 December 2022 could be sold through. Health Canada writes the rules, CFIA enforces them. Build a Canadian bilingual label in the generator.

Source: SOR/2016-305, Canada Gazette Part II, 14 December 2016; CFIA notice to industry, implementation of the 2016 amendments; Health Canada, Regulations and compliance: nutrition labelling.

Sources

Primary documents this page was written from, checked 2026-09-16.

How NFL handles it

  • Applies the correct rounding rules for every nutrient
  • Uses the right Daily Value / Reference Intake table for this jurisdiction
  • Renders the required front-of-pack warnings automatically when thresholds are hit
  • Handles multilingual labels where required (bilingual EN/FR, EN/ES, Arabic + EN, etc.)
  • Exports print-ready vector PDF, PNG, SVG, JPG, and EPS

Worked examples with real foods

See the Canadian bilingual table filled in with real USDA values: egg nutrition label, chicken breast nutrition label, avocado nutrition label, bacon nutrition label, milk nutrition label, banana nutrition label, peanut butter nutrition label, ground beef nutrition label, salmon nutrition label, Greek yogurt nutrition label. Every food page renders the same serving as a US, Canadian, EU and UK label and offers the FDA panel as a PNG or SVG download. Browse all foods →

Common questions

Does a Nutrition Facts table in Canada have to be in both English and French?
Yes. Section B.01.012(2) of the Food and Drug Regulations and section 206 of the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations require mandatory label information in both official languages. You can use one bilingual table from the Directory of Nutrition Facts Table Formats, or two unilingual tables on the same surface or on surfaces of equal size and prominence. No other language is allowed inside the table itself.
When did the Canadian front-of-package High in symbol become mandatory?
SOR/2022-168 was published on 20 July 2022 and its transitional provision expired on 31 December 2025, so the symbol has been mandatory on prepackaged foods sold in Canada since 1 January 2026. CFIA states it applies no enforcement discretion after that date.
What are the thresholds for the Health Canada nutrition symbol?
For most foods the symbol is required when saturated fat, sugars or sodium reach 15 percent of the daily value per reference amount or serving. The threshold drops to 10 percent for foods with a reference amount of 30 g or 30 mL or less, and rises to 30 percent for main dishes with a reference amount of 200 g or more. Only the nutrients that exceed the threshold are listed under High in.
Which foods are exempt from the front-of-package nutrition symbol?
Plain fruit and vegetables, milk, eggs, and cheese, yogurt, kefir and buttermilk with enough calcium are exempt as long as no saturated fat, sugars or sodium are added. Butter, fats and oils, sugars and salt are always exempt because the symbol would tell consumers nothing new. Packages with a display surface under 15 cm², shipping containers, restaurant portions and military rations are exempt for practical reasons.
What does the footnote 5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot mean and is it required?
It is the last item in the B.01.401 table and is mandatory on every Nutrition Facts table. It tells consumers how to read the % Daily Value column: 5 percent or less of the daily value in one serving is a small amount, 15 percent or more is a large amount. The French wording is 5 % ou moins c'est peu, 15 % ou plus c'est beaucoup.
Which nutrients must be on a Canadian Nutrition Facts table under B.01.401?
Calories plus twelve core nutrients in a fixed order: fat, saturated + trans, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, calcium and iron. Fat, saturated + trans, fibre, sugars, sodium, potassium, calcium and iron carry a % Daily Value; calories, cholesterol, carbohydrate and protein are shown as amounts only. Vitamins A and C were removed from the core list by the 2016 amendments.
Can a small package in Canada skip the Nutrition Facts table?
Sometimes. A package with an available display surface under 15 cm² is fully exempt. One under 100 cm² may omit the table under B.01.467 if the label gives a postal address or toll-free number in at least 8-point type where the nutrition information can be obtained free of charge, unless the product carries a nutrient or health claim or added vitamins or minerals, which removes the option.
Are old Nutrition Facts tables from before the 2016 Canadian changes still accepted?
No. The transition period for SOR/2016-305 ended on 14 December 2021, and CFIA's final enforcement phase, which accepted a written compliance plan instead of a compliant label, ended on 14 December 2023. Since then every prepackaged product must carry the current format, and CFIA inspects manufacturers, importers and retail packers for it.

How to generate one

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  • Pick "Canada - Bilingual EN/FR (Schedule K.1)" from the format rail
  • Enter your ingredients (search USDA FoodData Central or add a custom ingredient)
  • The label renders live; export in one click

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