G/TBT/N/CAN/711  
4 January 2024  
(24-0040) 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 Auth ority 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 [  ], 3.2 [  ], 7.2 [  ], 
other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  
Prepackaged food products (ICS: 67.230)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Notice of 
proposal to update the nutrition labelling: Table of reference amounts for food; (1 
page(s), in English), (1 page(s), in French)  
6. Description of content:  Health Canada's Food Directorate is proposing three 
amendments to the Table of Reference Amounts for Food  (TRA) based on stakeholder 
feedback, consumption data, market trends, and to address identified gaps for specific 
food categories. The TRA sets out the amount of food typically consumed in one eating 
occasion for different food c ategories and provides detailed instructions on how to 
determine and declare the serving size for the Nutrition Facts table (NFt). Reference 
amounts are used to determine what is considered to be a single -serving pre -packaged 
product and they serve as the basis for determining the serving size to be declared in the 
NFt of multiple -serving pre -packaged products. Reference amounts are part of the criteria 
for making nutrient content claims and health claims and they also factor into the 
requirements for the n ew front -of-package nutrition symbol.  
The proposed changes include: new serving size instructions for very high fibre cereals 
(C.3); new reference amount and corresponding serving size instructions for nutritional 
yeast (M.17); and changing the reference a mount for fondue cooking broths (T.2).  G/TBT/N/CAN/711  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The proposed amendments aim to update the TRA based on stakeholder 
feedback, consumption data, market trends, and to address ident ified gaps for specific 
food categories. Given that reference amounts are used to determine the serving size for 
the NFt and are part of the criteria for making nutrient content and health claims, it is 
important they are as up to date as possible.  Referen ce amounts also factor into the new 
requirements for front -of-package labelling, which industry needs to comply with by 1 
January 2026. Health Canada is revising the TRA at this time, to provide industry 
stakeholders time to make the necessary changes to t heir labels and to implement the 
new front -of-package nutrition labelling requirements using updated reference amount 
information, by 1 January 2026.  
8. Relevant documents:   
Health Canada's website:  
https://www.canada.ca/en/health -canada/services/food -nutrition/public -involve ment-
partnerships/notice -proposal -update -nutrition -labelling -table-reference -amounts.html  
(English)  
https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante -canada/services/aliments -nutrition/participation -
public -partenariats/avis -proposition -mettre -jour-etiquetage -nutritionnel -tableau -
quantites -reference.html  (French)  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  The proposed changes will come into effect the day 
on which the Notice of Modification is published on Health Canada's  website. Given the 
nature of the proposed changes, Health Canada is proposing to give industry until 1 
January 2026 to implement the changes. During this time, both the updated TRA and the 
previous versions of the TRA would apply (2016 and 2022).  
10. Final date for comments:  28 February 2024  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
Notice of proposal to update the nutrition labelling: Table of reference amounts for food 
are available at:  
https://www.canada.ca/en/health -canada/services/food -nutrition/public -involvement -
partnerships/notice -proposal -update -nutrition -labelling -table-reference -amounts.html  
(English)  
https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante -canada/services/aliments -nutrition/participation -
public -partenariats/avis -proposition -mettre -jour-etiquetage -nutritionnel -tableau -
quantites -reference.html  (French)