FOP Nutrition Symbol Guide
Front-of-Package Nutrition Symbol: Does Your Product Need One?
Starting January 1, 2026, most pre-packaged foods sold in Canada must display a Front-of-Package (FOP) nutrition symbol if they exceed certain thresholds for saturated fat, sugars, or sodium. Here's what you need to know.
What is the FOP symbol?
The FOP nutrition symbol is a black-and-white magnifying glass icon that appears on the front of food packaging. It alerts consumers that a product is high in saturated fat, sugars, and/or sodium.
There are 7 variants depending on which nutrients exceed the threshold. A product can be' high in' one, two, or all three nutrients.
Thresholds depend on your product type
Health Canada doesn't use the same threshold for every product. The % Daily Value (DV) threshold that triggers the FOP symbol depends on what type of food you make.
General packaged foods
15% DVThis is the default category and applies to most products on store shelves.
Examples: Chips, crackers, granola bars, cereal, bread, frozen pizza, canned soup, juice, yogurt, cheese, cookies, chocolate
Smaller serving products
10% DVProducts with a reference amount of 30g or less. These get a stricter threshold because even a small amount can contain significant nutrients.
Examples: Spices, seasonings, hot sauce, soy sauce, mustard, salad dressing, baking powder, flavour extracts, herbs
Meal prep
30% DVComplete meals with a reference amount of 200g or more. These get a higher threshold because a full meal is expected to contain more nutrients per serving.
Examples: Frozen dinners, meal kits, pre-packaged entrees, burritos, pot pies, pasta meals, TV dinners, meal prep containers
The threshold applies equally to all three nutrients (saturated fat, sugars, and sodium). If any one of these nutrients reaches or exceeds the threshold for your product type, the FOP symbol is required.
| Nutrient | General (15%) | Smaller serving (10%) | Meal prep (30%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturated fat | 3 g | 2 g | 6 g |
| Sugars | 15 g | 10 g | 30 g |
| Sodium | 345 mg | 230 mg | 690 mg |
Not sure which category your product falls into? Check Health Canada's FOP labelling guide for industry for the full list of reference amounts by food category.
The 7 symbol variants
High in Saturated fat only
High in Sugars only
High in Sodium only
High in Saturated fat + Sugars
High in Saturated fat + Sodium
High in Sugars + Sodium
High in all threeCommon exemptions
Some products are exempt from the FOP symbol requirement:
- —Raw single-ingredient meats, poultry, and seafood
- —Fresh fruits and vegetables
- —Milk and cream (unflavoured)
- —Eggs
- —Honey, maple syrup, and sugar (single-ingredient sweeteners)
- —Products with < 5 calories per serving and no added fat, sugar, or sodium
- —Products sold by small businesses with < $50K annual food revenue (temporary)
How NutriBoard helps
NutriBoard automatically calculates whether your product exceeds the FOP thresholds based on your recipe's per-serving nutrition values. You'll see which symbol variant applies (if any) and can download the correct symbol file for your packaging designer.
Check if your product needs the FOP symbol
Enter your recipe in NutriBoard and we'll automatically tell you if your product is high in saturated fat, sugars, or sodium — and which symbol to use.
Check your product →