Food and nutrition legislation, guidelines and policies: Guidelines
Guidelines explain to stakeholders what is required to meet the Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug Regulations. They provide guidance on how the department:
- interprets the act, the regulations and related policies
- intends to apply them
On this page
- COVID-19
- Flavoured purified alcohol
- Food additives
- Food irradiation
- Food labelling
- Food packaging
- Food processing aids
- Health claims
- Incidental additives
- Infant formula and human milk fortifiers
- Microbiological safety of foods
- Novel fibre sources
- Novel foods
- National model regulations, codes and guidelines
- Pre-market submission process for food additives, infant formulas and novel foods
- Sodium
- Supplemented foods
- Temporary marketing authorization (TMA) for foods
COVID-19
Latest developments on food and nutrition related to COVID-19.
Flavoured purified alcohol
Food additives
Food irradiation
Food labelling
Food packaging
- Guidelines for determining the acceptability and use of recycled plastics in food packaging applications
- Health Products and Food Branch packaging materials assessment process
- Information requirements for food packaging submissions
- Lists of acceptable polymers for use in food packaging applications
- Health Canada guidance concerning the packaging of fresh mushrooms
Food processing aids
Health claims
- Guidance document for preparing a submission for food health claims
- Guidance document for preparing a submission for food health claims using an existing systematic review
- Questions and answers about preparing submissions for food health claims
- Guidance document: The use of probiotic microorganisms in foods
Incidental additives
Infant foods and human milk fortifiers
Microbiological safety of foods
- Guidance on mitigating the health risk associated with Clostridium botulinum in plant and mushroom products stored in oil
- Ready-to-eat smoked fish and multi-ingredient products containing smoked fish
- Health Canada's guidance document on unpasteurized fruit juice and cider
- Health Canada's voluntary guidance on improving the safety of soft and semi-soft cheese made from unpasteurized milk
- Health Canada's guidance document on E. coli O157:H7 and E. coli O157:NM in raw beef
- Interim guidelines for the control of verotoxinogenic Escherichia coli including E. coli O157:H7 in ready-to-eat fermented sausages containing beef or a beef product as an ingredient
- Retail guidance document: Pathogen control (including Listeria monocytogenes) in ready-to-eat (RTE) refrigerated foods [2013]
- Health Canada guidance on reducing the risk of Salmonella enteritidis in shell eggs produced in Canada
- National strategy for the control of poultry-related human Salmonella enteritidis illness in Canada
- Botulism: Guide for healthcare professionals
- Guidance for industry: Sample collection and testing for sprouts and spent irrigation water
- Health Canada's guidance on safe cooking and handling labelling for raw ground meat and raw ground poultry
Novel fibre sources
Novel foods
National model regulations, codes and guidelines developed by the federal, provincial and territorial food committees
Health Canada has contributed to the development of several national model regulations, codes and guidelines for use by governments and industry through its participation on federal, provincial and territorial food committees. Since food safety is a shared responsibility among federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, the purpose of these documents is to promote harmonization of food safety approaches used across Canada.
- Canadian guidelines for food processing during adverse water events
- Management of the risks related to consumption of donairs and similar products (gyros, kebabs, chawarmas and shawarmas)
- Model guideline for food safety in food banks
- National guidelines for food safety training programs in the food retail and food service sectors
- Risk categorization model for food retail / food service establishments: Second edition
Pre-market submission process for food additives, infant formulas and novel foods
- The Food Directorate's premarket submission management process for food additives, infant formulas and novel foods
- A guide for the preparation of submissions on food additives
- A guide for the preparation of infant formula and human milk fortifier premarket submissions
- Guidelines for the safety assessment of novel foods
- Pre-submission meeting guidance: Pre-market mandatory submissions for the Food Directorate
- How to complete the online application and transport form for premarket submissions to the Food Directorate
Sodium
Supplemented foods
- Guidance document for Supplemented foods regulations [July 2022]
- Guidance Document: Pre-Market Submission Process for Supplemented Foods
- Supplemented Food Submission Checklist – Food Category
- Supplemented Food Submission Checklist - Supplemental Ingredient
- Information on the use of certain ingredients in foods including supplemented foods
Temporary marketing authorization (TMA) for foods
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