About supplemented foods and their labels
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What supplemented foods are
Supplemented foods are prepackaged foods with 1 or more supplemental ingredients.
Examples of supplemental ingredients include:
- vitamins
- minerals
- amino acids
- caffeine
Examples of supplemented foods include:
- beverages with added vitamins and minerals
- caffeinated energy drinks
- granola bars with added vitamins
Health Canada recently published Supplemented foods regulations to:
- protect the health and safety of consumers
- provide a clear and predictable regulatory environment for supplemented foods
There are specific requirements about the composition and labels for supplemented foods.
Table 1: Examples of different types of prepackaged foods and natural health products and their relevant regulations
| Conventional Foods | Fortified Foods | Supplemented Foods | Natural Health Products | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Examples of products |
cheese, vinegar, cooking oils |
white flour, milk, breakfast cereals |
beverages with added vitamins and minerals, caffeinated energy drinks |
multi-vitamin tablets |
Description |
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Regulations |
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Supplemented food labels
Supplemented foods have specific label requirements. These labels help you:
- tell these products apart from other foods
- understand the risks of consuming certain supplemental ingredients
- make informed health decisions
Health Canada worked with academic partners to conduct research with consumers about supplemented foods. The research included people of different health literacy levels and used the following methods:
- interviews
- discussion groups
- a mock-package trial
The results helped shape the labelling strategy, and public opinion research confirmed that the strategy helped people make informed decisions about these foods.
Supplemented food facts table
Supplemented foods must carry a supplemented food facts table (SFFt). The SFFt (see Figure 1) is similar to the nutrition facts table (NFt) on other foods.
The SFFt:
- has a unique heading: Supplemented Food Facts
- has the same requirements as the NFt for core nutrients
- lists the total amount of each supplemental ingredient in the food under the heading "Supplemented with"
Figure 1 - Text Description
Left justified at the top of the table is the heading Supplemented Food Facts and stacked below it is the heading Info-aliment supplémenté. Both are in bold. The next line is Per 1 can open parenthesis 500 mL close parenthesis. The next line is pour 1 canette open parenthesis 500 mL close parenthesis. There is a thin rule below pour 1 canette open parenthesis 500 mL close parenthesis that spans the width of the table. The next line is Calories in bold followed by 160, also in bold. Right justified on the same line is the subheading percent symbol Daily Value in bold. Stacked under this is percent symbol valeur quotidienne. Both Percent Daily Value and percent valeur quotidienne are followed by an asterisk that refers to a footnote below. There is a thick rule under Calories that ends after the amount; it does not span the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Fat, forward slash, Lipides in bold followed by 0 and a lowercase g. Right justified on the same line is 0 followed by a percent symbol. Indented on the next line under Fat, forward slash, Lipides is Saturated, forward slash, saturés and 0 followed by a lower case g. Indented on the next line is a plus symbol followed by Trans, forward slash, trans followed by 0 and lowercase g. Right justified and vertically centered against the saturated and trans information on the left is 0 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule below the trans information that spans the width of the table.
The next line is Carbohydrate, forward slash, Glucides in bold followed by 41 and a lowercase g. Indented on the next line under Carbohydrate, forward slash, Glucides is Fibre, forward slash, Fibres, followed by 0 and a lowercase g. Right justified on the same line is 0 followed by a percent symbol. Indented on the next line under Fibre is Sugars, forward slash, Sucres, followed by 41 and a lowercase g. Right justified on the same line is 41 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the sugars information that spans the width of the table.
The next line is Protein, forward slash, Protéines in bold followed by 0 and a lowercase g. There is a thin rule under the protein information that spans the width of the table.
The next line is Cholesterol, forward slash, Cholestérol in bold followed by 0 and mg in lowercase. There is a thin rule under the cholesterol information that spans the width of the table.
The next line is Sodium in bold followed by 150 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 7 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thick rule under the sodium information that spans the width of the table.
The next line is Potassium followed by 60 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 1 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the potassium information that spans the width of the table.
The next line is Iron, forward slash, Fer followed by 0 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 0 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thick rule under the iron information that spans the width of the Supplemented Food Facts table.
The next two lines is the percent Daily Value footnote that was referred to at the beginning of the table description. The footnote starts with an asterisk followed by the statement: 5 percent symbol or less is a little,15 percent symbol or more is a lot. On the second line is an asterisk followed by the statement: 5 percent symbol ou moins c'est peu,15 percent symbol ou plus c'est beaucoup. The terms 'a little', 'a lot', 'peu', and 'beaucoup' are in bold. There is a thick rule under the footnote information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Supplemented with, forward slash, Supplémenté en, in bold, followed by a dagger symbol that refers to a footnote at the bottom of the table. There is a thin rule below this information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Niacin, forward slash, Niacine followed by 7 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 44 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the niacin information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Pantothenate, forward slash, Pantothénate followed by 8 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 160 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the pantothenate information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Vitamin B6, forward slash, Vitamine B6 followed by 1 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 59 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the vitamin B6 information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Vitamin B12, forward slash, Vitamine B12 followed by 4 and µg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 167 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the vitamin B12 information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Vitamin C, forward slash, Vitamine C followed by 225 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 250 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the vitamin C information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Vitamin E, forward slash, Vitamine E followed by 2 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 13 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the vitamin E information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Calcium followed by 125 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 10 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the calcium information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Magnesium, forward slash, Magnésium followed by 20 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 5 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the magnesium information that spans the width of the table.
Left justified on the next line is Zinc followed by 5 and mg in lowercase. Right justified on the same line is 45 followed by a percent symbol. There is a thin rule under the zinc information that spans the width of the table.
The next two lines is the supplemented footnote that was referred to earlier. The footnote starts with a dagger symbol followed by the statement: Includes naturally occurring and supplemental amounts and on the second line is a dagger symbol followed by the statement: Comprend les quantités naturelles et supplémentées. This is the end of the Supplemented Food Facts table.
Cautionary statements
Supplemented foods contain added supplemental ingredients that can pose a risk to your health if you:
- consume too much of them
- are pregnant, a child or a member of another vulnerable group
Cautionary statements may be required on the supplemented food label to inform you of any risk associated with 1 or more supplemental ingredients in the food. The total amount of each supplemental ingredient is compared to its threshold level for cautionary labelling to determine if a caution is required. The cautionary statements are required if the supplemented food contains:
- certain supplemental ingredients (for example, zinc always requires cautionary statements), or
- more than a certain amount of a supplemental ingredient per serving (for example, more than 74 mg of vitamin C)
Cautionary statements are not required for products that contain supplemental ingredients below the threshold levels.
If more than 1 supplemental ingredient requires the same cautionary statement, the statement will only appear once on the label.
1 or more of the following cautionary statements may be required:
- "Not recommended for those under 14 years old"
- "Not recommended for those under 14 years old, pregnant or breastfeeding women or individuals sensitive to caffeine"
- "Do not [eat/drink] more than X serving(s) per day"
- "Do not [eat/drink] on the same day as any other supplemented foods or supplements with [the same supplemental ingredients/(name specific ingredients)]"
It is the responsibility of the manufacturer or distributor to ensure that all required cautionary statements are on the label. To make the cautionary information more noticeable, cautionary statements must be grouped together, under a standardized bolded heading "Caution". This is similar to how the current list of ingredients for prepackaged foods must be declared (see Figure 2).
Figure 2 - Text Description
There is a white box outlined by a black line. All text inside the box is black with the first letter of each sentence capitalized. A bullet separates each cautionary statement in the list. There are 16 lines of text that run horizontally within the box.
The first line starts with the word Caution, in bold, followed by a colon. This is followed by the statement Not recommended for those under 14 years old, pregnant or breastfeeding women or individuals sensitive to caffeine. This is followed by a bullet and the statement Do not drink more than 1 serving per day. This is followed by a bullet and the statement Do not drink on the same day as any other supplemented foods or supplements with the same supplemental ingredients.
The French description starts on the next line with the word Attention, in bold, followed by a colon. This is followed by the statement Déconseillé aux individus de moins de 14 ans, aux femmes enceintes ou qui allaitent ou aux personnes sensibles à la caféine. This is followed by a bullet and the statement Ne pas boire plus de 1 portion par jour. This is followed by a bullet and the statement Ne pas boire le même jour que d'autres aliments supplémentés ou suppléments contenant les mêmes ingrédients supplémentaires.
Supplemented food caution identifier
If a product requires cautionary statements, a supplemented food caution identifier must appear on the front panel of the product (See Figure 3). Its purpose is to alert you to review cautionary information to determine if the food is right for you.
Figure 3 - Text Description
This figure shows a supplemented food caution identifier for the principal display panel of a prepackaged product. This identifier is bilingual, with the English text shown first, followed by the French text. There is a white rectangular box outlined by a thin black line. Centred vertically on the left side of the box is a black exclamation mark. To the right of the exclamation mark is a horizontal bar. There is a small amount of white space between the exclamation mark and the bar as well as between the end of the bar and the thin black line that outlines the box. The bar is black and contains the word "Supplemented" followed by a forward slash and the word "Supplémenté", with both words in white, bold, lower case letters, except that the first letter of each word is in upper case. Centred below the black bar are the words "Health Canada" followed by a forward slash and the words "Santé Canada", with all words in black lower case letters, except that the first letter of each word is in upper case.
Supplemented foods infographic
We've created an infographic to help you understand the new supplemented food label.
Example of a supplemented food: Caffeinated energy drinks
Caffeinated energy drinks are prepackaged beverages or mixes that contain added caffeine, usually along with other ingredients such as taurine, B vitamins, minerals, or herbal ingredients. Caffeinated energy drinks can also contain guarana and yerba mate, which are natural sources of caffeine.
Health Canada restricts the amount of caffeine from all sources to a total of 180 mg per serving of a caffeinated energy drink. Other supplemental ingredients (like taurine, B vitamins and minerals) also have limits. For details, please refer to the List of permitted supplemental ingredients.
All caffeinated energy drinks must include the "high caffeine content" statement on the label and show the following cautionary statement:
- "Not recommended for those under 14 years old, pregnant or breastfeeding women or individuals sensitive to caffeine"
If you consume caffeinated energy drinks, read the label to know how much caffeine is in the container.
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