Canadian Requirements
Do You Need a Nutrition Label for Farmers Market?
If you sell food at a Canadian farmers market, you might be wondering whether you need a Nutrition Facts table on your packaging. The short answer: it depends on what you sell and how you sell it. Here is exactly what CFIA requires.
Quick Answer
Prepackaged food sold at farmers markets generally requires a Nutrition Facts table. However, there are exemptions for certain products like fresh fruits and vegetables, single-ingredient meats, and foods packaged and sold on-site. Even if you are exempt, adding a nutrition label builds trust with customers and prepares you for retail expansion.
When a nutrition label IS required
Prepackaged multi-ingredient products
Granola, sauces, jams, baked goods, spice blends, and any product with more than one ingredient that is packaged before sale. This covers the majority of farmers market products.
Products with a nutrition or health claim
If your label says "low fat", "high in fibre", "good source of protein", or any similar claim, you must include a Nutrition Facts table regardless of exemption status.
Products sold online or shipped
If you take online orders and ship products, even if you also sell at farmers markets, the prepackaged food rules apply fully.
When a nutrition label is NOT required
Fresh fruits and vegetables without added ingredients
A bag of apples, a bunch of carrots, or a pint of cherry tomatoes sold as-is.
Single-ingredient raw meats
A fresh chicken breast or a steak with no marinade, seasoning, or added ingredients.
Food prepared and sold on-site (not prepackaged)
If you make a sandwich or pour soup at your booth and hand it directly to the customer, that is not prepackaged food. However, if you package it before the market, it is prepackaged.
Very small packages under specific conditions
Products with a display surface area under 100 cm² have modified requirements, though they may still need a label upon request.
Why add a nutrition label even if you are exempt
- ✓Customers trust products with professional labels. A nutrition label signals that you take your product seriously.
- ✓Retail buyers (Loblaws, Sobeys, Farm Boy, Whole Foods) require compliant labels. Having one ready speeds up your path to retail.
- ✓If you ever make a nutrition or health claim, even casually on social media, you trigger the labelling requirement.
- ✓Provincial cottage food regulations are changing. Ontario expanded its rules recently. Being label-ready protects you from future requirements.
Province-specific notes
Federal CFIA rules apply to all interprovincial and international trade. However, each province has its own rules for food sold within the province. Some key differences:
Ontario
The Ontario Food Premises Regulation (O. Reg. 493/17) governs local food sales. Recent amendments expanded what cottage food producers can sell.
British Columbia
BC's Temporary Food Market Permit system governs farmers market vendors. Prepackaged products still need federal-compliant labels.
Quebec
Quebec adds French-first language requirements on top of federal bilingual rules. The French text must be at least as prominent as the English.
Alberta
Alberta allows some exemptions for products sold directly by the producer at farmers markets under the Alberta Food Regulation.
Create a label for your farmers market product
NutriBoard makes it easy. Add your ingredients, choose your serving size, and get a bilingual, CFIA-compliant Nutrition Facts table in minutes. Free to start.
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