FOP nutrition symbol (High in / Élevé en): Canada nutrition label

Nutrition labelling requirements in Canada

Packaged food sold in Canada must carry a nutrition declaration under FDR B.01.350 (SOR/2022-168) - front-of-package nutrition symbol. This page covers the Canada - FOP nutrition symbol (High in / Élevé en) format: Mandatory magnifying-glass symbol since Jan 1 2026 - auto-computed from 15% DV thresholds (SOR/2022-168). English and French must both appear on pack. There is no mandatory front-of-pack warning scheme. 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

Key facts

Canada front-of-package nutrition symbol: status and legal basis

Canada's front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol is mandatory under the Food and Drug Regulations, mainly sections B.01.350 to B.01.358 and Schedule K.1. A prepackaged food must carry the prescribed symbol on its principal display panel when saturated fat, sugars or sodium meets or exceeds the threshold for that food, unless it is exempt or prohibited from carrying it.

The rules were made by SOR/2022-168, published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on 20 July 2022. A transition period ran to 31 December 2025, and compliance has been mandatory since 1 January 2026. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has said there is no enforcement discretion after that date.

The symbol is a black and white magnifying glass with the words "High in / Élevé en" and bars naming the nutrient or nutrients that are high, attributed to Health Canada.

Source: SOR/2022-168, Canada Gazette, and CFIA, Front-of-package nutrition symbol.

What triggers "High in" saturated fat, sugars or sodium

The thresholds in force are based on the percentage of the Daily Value per serving of stated size or per reference amount, whichever is greater:

• 15% of the Daily Value for most foods with a reference amount over 30 g or 30 mL;
• 10% for foods with a reference amount of 30 g or 30 mL or less; and
• 30% for main dishes with a reference amount of at least 200 g, or at least 170 g for main dishes intended only for children aged one to under four.

For saturated fat, the Daily Value is the one for saturated plus trans fat, but Health Canada's guidance says only the saturated fat content counts when checking the threshold. A product can carry one, two or all three nutrients in the symbol.

Source: Food and Drug Regulations, section B.01.350, and Health Canada, Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry.

Exemptions and foods that must not carry the symbol

Section B.01.350 sets several exemptions that are in force. They include packages with less than 15 cm² of available display surface, certain food-service portions, foods sold only as ingredients for manufacturing, sweetening agents such as maple syrup, household and seasoning salts, and fats and oils such as butter and margarine.

Some foods are exempt only when the nutrient comes from specific healthy ingredients, for example certain fruits and vegetables, milk, eggs, nuts and seeds, qualifying oils and fish. Certain cheeses and yogurts have conditional exemptions linked to their calcium content. Raw single-ingredient meat, poultry and fish, and some foods prepared or packaged at retail, are also exempt in defined cases.

Other foods are prohibited from carrying the symbol, including foods for infants, infant formula, human milk fortifiers, formulated liquid diets, meal replacements, nutritional supplements and foods for certain restricted or very low energy diets.

Source: Food and Drug Regulations, section B.01.350.

Symbol design, bilingual format and placement

The symbol must follow the formats in Schedule K.1 and the Directory of Nutrition Symbol Specifications, which is mandatory. Manufacturers cannot design their own "high in" graphic.

English and French are mandatory: either two unilingual symbols or one bilingual symbol, horizontal by default, with prescribed vertical versions for certain package sizes and shapes under section B.01.351. A unilingual symbol is allowed only where the Regulations allow English-only or French-only labelling.

The symbol goes on the right half of the principal display panel if the panel is wider than it is high, and on the upper half otherwise, with a clear border free of other text or graphics. Health Canada sets the rules and publishes guidance, and CFIA enforces them.

Source: Food and Drug Regulations, sections B.01.351 and B.01.355, and Schedule K.1.

Sources

Primary documents this page was written from, checked 2026-10-04.

• Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations, SOR/2022-168 (Canada Gazette)
• Food and Drug Regulations, section B.01.350
• Food and Drug Regulations, section B.01.351
• Food and Drug Regulations, Schedule K.1
• Health Canada, Front-of-package nutrition symbol labelling guide for industry
• CFIA, Front-of-package nutrition symbol

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

Common questions

Related formats

Free tools for this label

All 51 free tools, no signup required.

How to generate one

• Open the generator: free account, no credit card
• Pick "Canada - FOP nutrition symbol (High in / Élevé en)" from the format rail
• Enter your ingredients (search USDA FoodData Central or add a custom ingredient)
• The label renders live; export in one click