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HEALTH PROFESSIONALS |
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| Healthy Eating Guidelines Nutrition Labelling and Claims In January 2003, Health Canada announced new mandatory nutrition labelling to help Canadians make informed choices for healthy eating. The new regulations require most food labels to carry a mandatory, “Nutrition Facts” table listing calories and 13 core nutrients. This standardized nutrition information is designed to help Canadians compare products more easily, assess the nutritional value of foods and better manage special diets. The new regulations also include revised criteria for nutrient content claims and five new diet-related health claims. Large food companies have until December 12, 2005 to place the Nutrition Facts table on their labels, while small businesses have until December 12, 2007. Until that time, companies can follow the previous regulations for nutrition labelling and claims or change to the new requirements. For more detailed information on the nutrition information labelling requirements, visit Health Canada
Carbohydrates in the Nutrition Facts Table
Within the core list, sugars refer to all monosaccharides (e.g. glucose, fructose) and disaccharides (e.g. sucrose, lactose) present in foods (e.g. milk, fruit and vegetables) or added to foods (e.g. table sugar, honey or syrups). Each mono- or disaccharide, regardless of its source, is chemically the same and has the same effects on health. All nutrient information provided in the Nutrition Facts Table is based on a specific amount (serving) of food which varies according to product type. Daily Values (DVs) are “reference standards” outlined in the Food and Drug Regulations for most nutrients in the Nutrition Facts Table. The DV for carbohydrate is 300 grams, and the DV for fibre is 25 grams. These values are based on a 2000-calorie reference diet, and indicate that the Canadian diet should provide 55% of energy as carbohydrate from a variety of sources. Canadians are also advised to emphasize their intake of fibre-containing foods using Canada’s Food Guide. In the Nutrition Facts Table, nutrient content is expressed as a percentage of the DV (% DV). Therefore, the carbohydrate content of a food is expressed as a percentage of 300 grams and the fibre content is expressed as a percentage of 25 grams. There is no recommended level of intake for sugars because they are not directly involved in the etiology of lifestyle-related diseases. Therefore, no DV has been set for sugars. Carbohydrates and Nutrient Content Claims Nutrient content claims are statements that highlight or describe the amount of a nutrient in a food. A variety of nutrient content claims pertaining to sugars and carbohydrates are permitted, however, new conditions apply for foods to qualify for certain claims. Only the terms and wording outlined in the Food and Drug Regulations can be used to make a claim. Claims for sugars and Carbohydrates:
For more information about Carbohydrate and Nutrient Content Claims, see Sugars, Carbohydrates and the New Food Label, and the 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising Claims for fibre: “Source of fibre”, “high source of fibre”, “very high source of fibre” and “more fibre” are all claims that may be made on the nutrition label, depending on the amount of fibre contained in a food product. The criteria to meet these claims are outlined in the Food and Drug Regulations. A fifth claim, “promotes laxation”/“promotes regularity” is no longer permitted under the new regulations. Carbohydrates and Diet-Related Health Claims New labelling regulations permit five Diet-Related Health Claims. These are optional statements that manufacturers can use to describe the relationship between a food or constituent of food and reduced risk of developing a diet-related disease or condition. These claims are based on sound scientific evidence and permit statements that relate to reducing the risk of heart disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, some types of cancer, and tooth decay. One of the five claims describes the relationship between fermentable
carbohydrates (e.g. sugars, starch, dextrins) in gum, hard candy
or breath-freshening products, and the reduction of risk of dental
caries. To make this claim, these products must either contain <0.25%
fermentable carbohydrate, or if >0.25%, must not lower plaque
pH below 5.7 by bacterial fermentation within 30 minutes after consumption.
If the product meets these criteria, the label may state any one
of the following claims: “Won’t cause cavities”,
“Does not promote tooth decay”, “Does not promote
dental caries”, or “non-cariogenic.” For more information on diet-related health claims, visit Health Canada. Carbohydrates in the Ingredient List All pre-packaged foods require a list of ingredients contained in the food by weight from most to least (ingredient of highest weight listed first). Carbohydrates and sugars are naturally present in a variety of foods (e.g. milk, fruit, vegetables and grains) and are added to foods as ingredients (e.g. sucrose, honey, syrup). All ingredients must be listed by defined common names, as outlined in Annex 2-2 of the 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising. For example, the term ‘sugar” is the common name for sugar, liquid sugar, invert sugar or liquid invert sugar; the term “glucose-fructose” is the common name for glucose syrups containing less than 60% fructose, such as high-fructose corn syrup; and the term “fructose syrup” is the common name for glucose syrups containing more than 60% fructose. All of these ingredients contribute to the total amount of carbohydrate and sugars listed in the Nutrition Facts Table. The term “natural” is often used to describe certain foods and ingredients in food labelling. Sugar (sucrose) may be described as “natural” because it exists in nature, the refining process does not alter the physical, chemical or biological make-up of sucrose, and it is free of artificial and synthetic ingredients. A food containing sugar and other ingredients can also be described as “natural”, provided that all ingredients meet the conditions outlined in the Food and Drugs Regulations and 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising to be considered "natural". Sweeteners are defined as “food additives” by the Food and Drug Regulations and refer to both high intensity-sweeteners and sugar alcohols (polyols). High intensity-sweeteners include aspartame, neotame, sucralose, acesulfame-potassium, saccharin, and cyclamate. Aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame-potassium must be listed on the nutrition label. Any food containing one or more of these sweeteners must contain a statement on the principal display panel which states that the food: “contains (name of the sweetener)” and/or is “sweetened with (name of sweetener).” Saccharin and cyclamate sweeteners are not permitted in foods, and may only be sold for direct consumer use under conditions outlined in the Food and Drug Regulations. Furthermore, the labels of each of these products must contain cautionary statements regarding their use (e.g. used only on the advice of a physician), along with a list of ingredients, declaration of energy value, and the quantity of specific constituents that are found in the sweetener. Sugar Alcohols Sugar alcohols are also used to sweeten foods. Examples include isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, maltitol syrup, mannitol, sorbitol, sorbitol syrup, xylitol, and erythritol. If a product contains sugar alcohols, it must be listed as an ingredient in the ingredient list, and its content must be declared in the Nutrition Facts Table as “sugar alcohols”. Sugar alcohols contribute to both the total carbohydrate and energy in a food product. They are expressed in grams per stated serving size. According to the 2003 Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising, the energy values for sugar alcohols are as follows:
For more information on Sweetener labelling, click here. Canada's Food Guide, Health Canada Food and Drug Regulations, Department of Justice Canada Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising, Canadian Food Inspection Agency Nutrition Labelling, Health Canada Healthy Eating is in Store for You, Canadian Diabetes Association, Dietitians of Canada Sugars, Carbohydrates and the New Food Label Canadian Sugar Institute, 2004 |
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The
Nutrition Facts Table, which lists the content of calories
and 13 core nutrients, is mandatory on most pre-packaged foods.
The total amount of carbohydrate and two types of carbohydrate (sugars
and fibre) in a serving of food are among the core nutrients that
must be listed on the Nutrition Facts Table. Other carbohydrate
components (e.g. starch, soluble and insoluble fibre) may be voluntarily
listed. 
©
Canadian Sugar Institute
10 Bay Street, Suite 620 - Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2R8
Tel: 416-368-8091 - Fax: 416-368-6426 | info@sugar.ca
| www.sugar.ca |