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Jamaican food manufacturers must comply with Canada’s revised food labelling regulations by December 31, 2025, to avoid penalties imposed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).  

The CFIA enforces federal food safety regulations for both domestic and imported food by Health Canada. The key changes to these regulations primarily focus on nutrition facts, formats for the nutrition facts table and list of ingredients as well as the adjustments to serving sizes.  

Details Included in the Nutrition Facts Table: 

1. Larger font for serving size and calories: The serving sizes and calorie counts must be displayed in a larger font to better stand out to consumers.  In addition, the number of calories must be underlined in bold.  

2. Percentage daily value for sugar: Product labels should include the percent daily value (%DV) for total sugars, in addition to the grams of sugar per serving. 

3. Revision to the list of minerals and vitamins: Labels must include the minerals and vitamins in milligram amounts, as well as their percentage daily value. 

4. A percent daily value footnote: A new percent daily value footnote must be at the bottom of the table, stating “5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot.” 

Format for the Nutrition Facts and List of Ingredients 

1. Listing ingredients for ease of reading and to improve the overall appearance: It is now mandatory for ingredients to have a separate title and be listed in black font against a white background. Ingredients must be separated by either bullets or comas. The font for calories is larger and stands out more with a bold line below. Food colours must be listed individually by their common names. Combining colours into one ingredient is no longer allowed. 

2. Sugars are to be grouped together: Several types of sugar are to be grouped and categorised as one, with each specific type of sugar and its exact ingredients listed in brackets in descending order by weight.  The sugar with the highest percentage of the product should be listed as the first ingredient. If the final product contains less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving, then sugars do not need to be grouped.  

Adjustments to Serving Sizes  

1. Serving sizes are now based on regulated reference amount (RA): This was instituted to ensure consistency across brands. Single-serve packages that contain up to 200 per cent of the RA for that food must now list the entire package as the serving size. Foods in multi-serve packages must have serving sizes as close as possible to their RAs.  

2. Use of common household measurements: Serving sizes for measurable foods must be listed in common household measurements, (e.g., cups, tablespoons, number of chips, etc.), and should state their weight in grams or millilitres. Common foods such as bread should display serving sizes that show both the household measurement and its weight in grams. The household measurement for bread is now two slices. Foods containing multiple pieces or that can be divided up, should have the RA listed in grams.  

The Jamaican Promotion Corporation’s (JAMPRO) Agribusiness Exports department guides local exporters on all current export changes that may affect their businesses. Stakeholders are encouraged to visit www.dobusinessjamaica.com or to reach out via email at info@dobusinessjamaica.com to learn more.