Step-by-Step Guide
How to Create a Nutrition Label in Canada
Everything you need to know about creating a CFIA-compliant Nutrition Facts table for your Canadian food product. Whether you sell at a farmers market or ship to Loblaws, this guide walks you through the entire process.
Quick Answer
To create a nutrition label in Canada, you need to: (1) calculate per-serving nutrient values from your recipe, (2) apply CFIA Schedule M rounding rules, (3) use Health Canada Daily Values for %DV, and (4) format the label in bilingual English/French. The fastest way is to use a tool like NutriBoard, which does all of this automatically.
What you need before you start
- ✓Your complete recipe with ingredient weights in grams
- ✓The total yield of your recipe (total weight of the finished product)
- ✓Your chosen serving size and servings per container
- ✓Your product name in English and French
8 steps to a compliant Canadian nutrition label
Gather your ingredient list with exact quantities
Start with your complete recipe. Write down every ingredient and its weight in grams. This includes everything: main ingredients, seasonings, oils, and even water if it remains in the final product. Accuracy here determines the accuracy of your entire label.
Look up nutrient data from approved sources
Use Health Canada's Canadian Nutrient File (CNF) or USDA FoodData Central to find the per-100g nutrient values for each ingredient. These are the same databases used by registered dietitians and food labs. NutriBoard searches both databases automatically and matches your ingredients to the closest verified entry.
Calculate per-serving nutrition values
Multiply each ingredient's per-100g nutrient values by the actual amount used, then divide by the number of servings. You need to declare: Calories, Fat, Saturated Fat, Trans Fat, Carbohydrate, Fibre, Sugars, Protein, Cholesterol, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and Iron. These are the 13 mandatory nutrients under Canadian regulations.
Apply CFIA Schedule M rounding rules
This is where most producers get it wrong. Canadian rounding rules are different from US rules for nearly every nutrient. For example, 3.7g of fat rounds to 3.5g (nearest 0.5g), not 4g like in the US. Calories round to the nearest 10 above 50 kcal. Sodium rounds to the nearest 5mg above 5mg. NutriBoard applies all 40+ rounding rules automatically.
Calculate % Daily Values using Health Canada references
Canada uses its own Daily Values, not the US FDA values. The Canadian DV for fat is 75g (US is 78g), fibre is 28g (US is 28g), and potassium is 3400mg (US is 4700mg). Using US values will make every percentage on your label incorrect. Note: Carbohydrate, Protein, and Cholesterol do not show a %DV on Canadian labels.
Format the Nutrition Facts Table in bilingual format
Canadian labels must display all information in both English and French. This includes the title ("Nutrition Facts / Valeur nutritive"), every nutrient name, the serving declaration, and the 5%/15% footnote. The layout must follow one of the formats in the CFIA Directory of Nutrition Facts Table Formats.
Add the required footnote
Every Canadian Nutrition Facts table must include: "*5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot" and its French equivalent: "*5 % ou moins c'est peu, 15 % ou plus c'est beaucoup". This interpretive statement is mandatory under FDR B.01.460.
Export and verify
Export your label as a print-ready PDF or PNG. Before sending it to your packaging designer, double-check: Are all 13 mandatory nutrients present? Is every line bilingual? Are the rounding rules correct? Does the serving size match your actual package? If you are selling commercially, Health Canada recommends confirming values with a lab analysis.
Common mistakes to avoid
Using US FDA values instead of Health Canada
Canadian Daily Values, rounding rules, and mandatory nutrients are different from the US. A label made with US tools will be non-compliant in Canada.
Forgetting the French translation
Every nutrient name, the title, the serving declaration, and the footnote must appear in both English and French. English-only labels are not legal for sale in Canada.
Showing %DV for cholesterol or protein
In Canada, cholesterol and protein show amounts only. No percentage. This is different from US labels.
See the full list: 10 Nutrition Label Mistakes to Avoid
Skip the manual work
NutriBoard does all 8 steps automatically. Add your ingredients, set your serving size, and export a print-ready bilingual Nutrition Facts table in under 2 minutes. Free to start.
Create your first label free