What Canada’s Front-of-Pack Labeling Changes Mean for Consumers
With new front-of-pack labeling regulations in Canada now requiring clear “high in sodium, sugar, and saturated fat” warnings on food products, consumers and brands alike are navigating a major shift toward greater transparency and informed food choices.
Today, we’re breaking down why these front-of-pack food labels are being introduced, what “high in” warnings really mean, why food packages are now required to include them, and why brands like ours haven’t needed to change packaging.
What are the food labeling requirements in Canada?
Canadian food brands were given until January 1, 2026, to implement changes to the front of pack which requires a nutrition symbol for foods that are high in one or more of saturated fats, sugars, or sodium 1.
While these rules apply to most packaged foods, some products like fresh produce, single-ingredient items, and certain dairy products are exempt. For brands, food labels have become a powerful way to build trust. With so many factors influencing purchase decisions, whether it’s dietary needs, allergies, buying local, or understanding every ingredient, clear, transparent labeling simplifies the experience.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says consumers deserve labels they can trust and their aim is to protect consumers from misleading food labels and ads by fining companies who are not following the law 2.
In Canada, most packaged foods include an ingredient list and a nutrition label, which shows how much of the recommended daily value of key nutrients a product contains. What does “% Daily Value” mean? The % Daily Value (%DV) indicates how much a nutrient in one serving contributes to your overall daily intake.
Health Canada considers a product to have “a lot” of a nutrient if it provides more than 15% of the daily value, and “a little” if it contains less than 5% 3.
Federal officials say this change aligns Canada with front-of-package labeling systems used in other countries and is part of a wider effort to increase transparency and raise public awareness about nutrition 4.
The Food Labels You Can Trust
Clearer food labels now spotlight nutrients like sugar, sodium, and saturated fat; three elements that significantly affect your health. These changes are designed to empower you, making it simpler than ever to make informed, confident food choices.
When it comes to making the recipes for granola, cereals, or flavored oatmeal, sugar, sodium, and fats each serve an important purpose. Sugar brings that delicious sweetness, sodium boosts flavor, and fats create the texture most consumers love in granola and cereal. It’s tempting, and common, for companies to lean on these ingredients more to deliver taste, but there’s a smarter way forward.
Why don’t we have warning labels on our packaging? Our sprouted products already meet the thresholds for sugar, sodium, and saturated fat- meaning these warning labels aren’t required on our packaging.
At One Degree Organic Foods, we’ve taken a more thoughtful approach. We believe you shouldn’t have to choose between great taste and healthy foods. That’s why we’ve worked hard to carefully balance flavor and nutrition in every product by using clean, organic ingredients and intentional recipes to make products that are both delicious and aligned with the health and government standards.
It’s all part of making food you can feel good about, right down to what’s on the label.
We’re incredibly proud of the products we bring to your table; it’s a reflection of our commitment to clean, thoughtfully sourced ingredients. Our commitment to total food transparency means it’s not enough to simply tell you our ingredients are organic, healthy, and safe to enjoy; we believe it’s our responsibility to prove it.
Third-party certifications hold every brand and product that carries them accountable to clearly defined standards. When you see their logos and icons on our packaging, you can feel confident knowing our products are exactly what we say they are, guaranteed.
REFERENCES
- Food Nutrition: Food Labelling Available from:https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/nutrition-labelling/front-package.html Accessed on: March, 2026
- No so Canadian CFIA Fines Food Businesses 47k Over Label Claims Available from: https://www.discoverairdrie.com/articles/not-so-canadian-cfia-fines-food-businesses-47k-over-label-claims Accessed on: March, 2026
- Canada’s New Food Labelling System: Extremely Effective Expert Says Available from: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/article/canadas-new-food-labelling-system-extremely-effective-expert-says/ Accessed on: March, 2026
- Canada’s New Front of Package Nutrition Warning Labels Available from: https://globalnews.ca/news/11602686/canadas-new-front-package-nutrition-warning-labels/ Accessed on: March, 2026
