Nutrition facts tables
Important notice: The information on this web page is under review.
A nutrition facts table can help you make informed food choices when grocery shopping and preparing food at home. Learn about what is in a nutrition facts table and how to use it.
On this page
What is included in a nutrition facts table
A nutrition facts table gives you information on:
It also gives you information on the 13 core nutrients:
Did you know?
There are 13 core nutrients that must be listed in a nutrition facts table. However, here is a list of some of the nutrients that are optional to include:
- folate
- magnesium
- niacin
- phosphorous
- potassium
- riboflavin
- selenium
- thiamine
- vitamin B12
- vitamin B6
- vitamin D
- vitamin E
- zinc
Foods that do not have a nutrition facts table
By law, most packaged food in Canada must have a nutrition facts table. However, the following foods do not need to have a nutrition facts table:
- fresh vegetables and fruit
- raw meat and poultry (except when it is ground)
- raw seafood
- one-bite confections that are individually sold
- milk sold in refillable glass containers
- individual servings of food meant to be eaten immediately
- foods prepared or processed in-store made from its ingredients, such as:
- bakery items
- salads
Other exceptions include:
- beverages with an alcohol content over 0.5%
- foods, prepared, processed and sold at a:
- road-side stand
- craft show
- flea market
- fair
- farmers' market
- sugar bush
You will not find a nutrition facts table on foods that contain very few nutrients, such as:
- coffee
- tea
- vinegar
- spices
Restaurants and food service businesses also do not need to provide a nutrition facts table with their products.
How to use a nutrition facts table
The information in a nutrition facts table is based on the serving size. Serving size can be found at the top of the nutrition facts table.
You can use a nutrition facts table to compare the serving size to the amount of food you actually eat.
For example, the serving size of bread in a nutrition facts table could be 1 slice. But if you eat 2 slices, you need to double the amount of calories and nutrients.
A nutrition facts table can also be used to:
- learn about a food's nutritional value (calories and nutrients)
- see if a food contains a little (5% DV or less) or a lot (15% DV or more) of a nutrient
- compare 2 products to make informed food choices
- better manage special food needs such as a low-sodium diet
Interactive nutrition facts table
Select any item in the table to find out more.
Amount | % Daily Value | ||
---|---|---|---|
Calories 160 | |||
Fat 2.5 g | 4 % | ||
Saturated 1.5 g + Trans 0 g |
8 % | ||
Cholesterol 10 mg | |||
Sodium 75 mg | 3 % | ||
Carbohydrate 25 g | 8 % | ||
Fibre 0 g | 0 % | ||
Sugars 24 g | |||
Protein 8 g | |||
Vitamin A | 2 % | Vitamin C | 0 % |
Calcium | 20 % | Iron | 0 % |
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