LabelGuard
Canada Compliance

Canada Food & NHPCompliance Made Simple

Navigate CFIA and Health Canada regulations with confidence. Our AI-powered tool ensures your food and natural health product labels meet all Canadian requirements including bilingual labeling, allergens, and NPN compliance.

Understanding Canadian Food & Natural Health Product Requirements

Canada has distinct regulatory frameworks for food products (CFIA) and natural health products (Health Canada), each with specific labeling requirements.

CFIA Food Regulations
Canadian Food Inspection Agency governs food product labeling requirements
  • Priority Allergen Information
  • Bilingual Nutrition Facts
  • Food and Drug Regulations
Natural Health Products
Health Canada Natural Health Products Directorate regulations
  • NPN or DIN-HM Required
  • Bilingual Core Information
  • Health Canada Approved Claims
Bilingual Requirements
Official Languages Act requires English and French labeling
  • Core Information (EN/FR)
  • Ingredient Names
  • Allergen Declarations

Canadian Food vs Natural Health Product Requirements

Different regulatory pathways with specific labeling requirements for the Canadian market

Food Products
CFIA Food and Drug Regulations requirements

Key Requirements:

  • Priority allergens emphasized and bilingual
  • Nutrition Facts table (English and French)
  • Ingredients list in descending order
  • Country of origin for specific products
  • Best before date and storage instructions
Natural Health Products
Health Canada NHP Regulations (SOR/2003-196)

Key Requirements:

  • NPN or DIN-HM number prominently displayed
  • Recommended use/purpose (bilingual)
  • Medicinal ingredients with quantities
  • Recommended dose and directions
  • Warnings, cautions, contraindications

Canadian Priority Food Allergens

Health Canada recognizes 11 priority allergens that must be clearly declared in both English and French

Eggs

Œufs

Milk

Lait

Mustard

Moutarde

Peanuts

Arachides

Crustaceans & Molluscs

Crustacés et mollusques

Fish

Poisson

Sesame Seeds

Graines de sésame

Soy

Soja

Sulphites

Sulfites

Tree Nuts

Noix

Wheat

Blé

Canadian Bilingual Allergen Declaration Requirements

Priority allergens must be clearly identified in both English and French. They can be listed in a separate "Contains/Contient" statement or emphasized within the ingredient list. This applies to both food products and natural health products containing food ingredients.

Natural Health Product Specific Requirements

Additional labeling requirements specific to natural health products in Canada

Mandatory Information
  • Product name (proper/common name)
  • NPN (Natural Product Number) or DIN-HM prominently displayed
  • Recommended use or purpose (English and French)
  • Recommended dose and directions for use
Medicinal Ingredients
  • Medicinal ingredients with quantity per dosing unit
  • Non-medicinal ingredients list
  • Active ingredient names in English and French
  • Source material information where applicable
Safety Information
  • Risk information, warnings, and cautions as per Health Canada approval
  • Contraindications and known adverse reactions
  • Duration of use limitations where applicable
Bilingual Requirements
  • Core label information in both English and French
  • NPN/DIN-HM number (language neutral)
  • Recommended use and dosage information

Common Canadian Compliance Issues

Avoid these frequent mistakes that can lead to CFIA or Health Canada enforcement action

Missing or Incorrect NPN/DIN-HM
NHP

Natural health products sold without valid NPN or DIN-HM, or with incorrect numbers

Health Canada enforcement, product seizure
Inadequate Bilingual Labeling
Food & NHP

Missing French translations for core information or incorrect bilingual formatting

Official Languages Act violation
Incomplete Priority Allergen Information
Food & NHP

Missing or unclear allergen declarations, especially in both official languages

Food safety violation, CFIA action
Health Claims Not Matching Approval
NHP

Using health claims not approved for the specific NPN or making unauthorized claims

Health Canada enforcement action

How LabelGuard Ensures Canadian Compliance

Our AI-powered platform checks your food and natural health product labels against Canadian requirements

Product Type Detection

Automatically applies CFIA or Health Canada regulations based on your product classification

Priority Allergen Checking

Validation of all 11 Canadian priority allergens with bilingual requirement checking

NHP-Specific Validation

Checks NPN/DIN-HM requirements, medicinal ingredients, and Health Canada approved claims

Bilingual Compliance

Ensures core information meets Official Languages Act requirements for both English and French

Regulatory Authority Compliance

Meet standards enforced by CFIA for foods and Health Canada for natural health products

Comprehensive Citations

Get exact regulatory citations from Food and Drug Regulations and NHP Regulations

Ready to Ensure Canadian Compliance?

Join Canadian food manufacturers and natural health product companies who trust LabelGuard for bilingual compliance and regulatory requirements