G/TBT/N/CAN/543  
 
13 February 2018  
(18-0950) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English/French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: CANADA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: Department of Health  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Canada's Notification Authority and Enquiry Point  
Global Affairs Canada  
Technical Barriers and Regulations Division  
111 Sussex Drive  
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2  
Canada  
Telephone: (343)203 -4273 
Fax: (613)943 -0346 
Email: enquirypoint@international.gc.ca   
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): 
Prepackaged products (ICS Codes: 67.040, 67.230)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Regulations 
Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (Nutrition Symbols, Other Labelling Provisions, 
Partially Hydrogenated Oils and Vitamin D) (121 pages, available in English and French) 
(121 page(s), in English; 121 page(s), in French)    
6. Description of content: The proposed regulations would amend the Food and Drug 
Regulations  (FDR) to require front -of-package (FOP) labelling for prepackaged products 
containing nutrients of public health concern (sodium, saturated fats and/or sugars) at or 
above a certain threshold to enable Canadians to more easily identify foods high in these  
nutrients and make healthier and more informed decisions. The proposed amendments 
would also repeal the table of permitted nutrient content statements and claims following 
section B.01.513 and incorporate it by reference in the FDR. Doing so would enable Health 
Canada to more efficiently amend such claims in response to evolving science.    
The proposed amendments would also increase vitamin D fortification levels in milk, goat's 
milk and margarine to help bring the vitamin D intakes of Canadians closer to the 2011 
recommendations of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly the Institute of 
Medicine (IOM). Given the decision to prohibit the sale of foods that contain Partially 
Hydrogenated Oils (PHOs) by adding PHOs to Part 1 of the List of Contamina nts and Other 
Adulterating Substances in Foods , pursuant to the Notice of Modification: Prohibiting the Use 
of PHOs in Foods (Ref. No. NOM/ADM -C-2017-3), amendments to the FDR are proposed to 
ensure a coherent prohibition on the use of PHOs in foods.  G/TBT/N/CAN/543  
 
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  Finally, to address the inconsistencies in the labelling of foods containing certain high -
intensity sweeteners, the proposed amendments would repeal the additional principle display 
panel and quantitative declaration requirements for foods containing aspartame , sucralose, 
acesulfame -potassium and neotame. Amendments to the legibility and location requirements 
pertaining to the phenylalanine statement on foods containing aspartame are also proposed 
to improve its prominence on the label.  
7. Objective and ration ale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: The objectives of the proposed amendments to the FDR are to:   
1. Help reduce risks to health by providing consumers with quick and easy 
information on foods high in sodium, sugars and/or saturated  fat to help reduce 
consumption of these nutrients;  
2. Enable efficient and timely updates to nutrient content claims in the future;  
3. Increase vitamin D in the food supply to help promote adequate bone health 
among Canadians without incurring risk of excessive  intakes;  
4. Ensure that certain definitions, food standards and other regulatory provisions 
within the FDR are consistent with the prohibition on the sale of foods that contain 
PHOs;  
5. Remove unnecessary labelling requirements for foods containing the high -intensity 
sweeteners aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame -potassium and neotame, while also 
improving the legibility of the mandatory phenylalanine statement for foods 
containing aspartame.  
8. Relevant documents:   
Canada Gazette , Part I, February 10, 2018, pages  279-399 (available in English and French)  
Directory of Nutrition Symbol Formats ( https://www.canada.ca/en/health -
canada/programs/consultation -front-of-package -nutrition -labelling -cgi/directory -of-nutrition -
symbol -formats.html )  
Notice of Proposal - Incorporating by Reference the Nutrition Labelling – Table of Permitted 
Nutrient Content  Statements and Claims ( https://canada -preview.adobecqms.net/en/health -
canada/services/food -nutrition/public -involvement -partnerships/proposal -table-permitted -
nutrient -content -statements -and-claims.html )   
9. Proposed date of adoption: Not stated  
Proposed date of entry into force: These Regulations come into force on the day of its 
publication in Canada Gazette, Part II.  
Regulated parties would be given a transitional period ending on December 14, 2022 to 
comply with the provisions of this proposa l relating to the FOP nutrition symbol, the 
placement and legibility requirements for the phenylalanine statement, nutrient content 
claims, and vitamin D fortification.   
10. Final date for comments: 26 April 2018  
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
The electronic version of the regulatory text can be downloaded at:  
http://gazette.gc.ca/rp -pr/p1/2018/2018 -02-10/html/reg2 -eng.html  
http://gazette.gc.ca/rp -pr/p1/2018/2018 -02-10/html/reg2 -fra.html