Nutrition warning labels now required on some foods

A front-of-package nutrition symbol featuring a magnifying glass is now required on foods that are high in one or more of saturated fat, sugars or sodium.

The federal government says the new symbol has been introduced because frequently eating foods high in saturated fat, sugars or sodium can lead to increased health risks such as stroke, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some types of cancers.

The front-of-package nutrition symbol is designed to help consumers make quick and informed choices when shopping for groceries and support health professionals in educating people about foods high in sodium, sugars and saturated fat.

The black-and-white nutrition symbol features a magnifying glass, highlighting what the food is high in: saturated fat, sugars, sodium, or any combination of these. The words “Health Canada / Santé Canada” appear at the bottom of the symbol.

The nutrition symbol is mandatory for prepackaged foods that meet or exceed set levels for saturated fat, sugars or sodium. Some foods do not need to display a nutrition symbol, including packaged individual portions only intended to be served by a restaurant or other commercial enterprise to accompany meals or snacks, such as individually portioned crackers served with soup or creamers served with a cup of coffee; milk and cream sold in refillable glass containers; foods in very small packages; and raw, single ingredient whole cuts of meat, poultry and fish that do not carry a nutrition facts table.

Foods not requiring a nutrition symbol also include those with a protective effect on health, such as fruits and vegetables without added saturated fat, sugars or sodium; certain dairy products, such as plain milk, plain yogurt and cheese because they’re important sources of calcium needed to promote bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis; raw, single ingredient ground meats and poultry to avoid giving the impression that they’re nutritionally inferior to whole cuts that don’t carry a nutrition symbol; and butter, sugar, salt and other products used for the same purpose as butter, sugar or salt, such as honey, celery salt, maple syrup, vegetable oils and seasoning salt.

Photo: The new nutrition symbol will appear in the upper half of the label for most package shapes. It will appear on the right half of the package label if the label is wider than it is tall.