Food label checker

How it works

1. 1 Add each thing you sell: what it is, and whether it's packed ahead or sold loose from the counter.
2. 2 For packed food, say where it's sold, what the label claims, how much room there is and how long it keeps. The blueprint lights up each part the label needs; tap one for the reason and the page it's from.
3. 3 When the “High in” symbol depends on the numbers, type them from your Nutrition Facts table and the meter shows each one against its line. Then print the checklist for the binder.

Free, with no account. Everything is worked out on this device, and your items are never sent to us. If you ask it to, this device remembers your items for next time; the made-up example is never kept.

Good to know

Is this legal advice?

No. Guidance, not legal advice. It follows CFIA's pages on Nutrition Facts exemptions, ingredients and allergens and date markings, and links the page behind each answer. Where the wording leaves room, it says (verify). If a lot rides on it, ask your local CFIA office or health unit.

What's the “High in” symbol?

A black and white magnifying-glass symbol on the front of the package that says the food is high in saturated fat, sugars or sodium. It's been required on packed food since January 1, 2026, when the food needs a Nutrition Facts table and crosses a line. The tool doesn't draw the symbol; Health Canada's guide has the artwork, the sizes and where it goes.

Why does a muffin I bake and sell here need no table?

Food made from its ingredients and sold only in the shop where it's made is exempt from the Nutrition Facts table, and so from the symbol. Sell the same muffin to a café or a grocer and it needs both, unless another exemption applies.

Does a “gluten-free” sticker count as a claim?

Not on its own. The claims that take an exemption away are nutrition and health claims, like “low fat”, “source of fibre” or “good for your heart”. Allergen and gluten-free statements aren't among them (verify for your wording).

Food sold loose from the counter?

It needs no label, but customers will ask what's in it. Keep an allergen chart staff can show; the Allergen & dietary labels tool makes one.

What about English and French?

Most labels need both. Some local food sold in its area has an exemption (verify). The checklist reminds you, but doesn't decide it.

How do I print the checklist?

On US Letter, landscape, at 100% or “Actual size”. One row an item, with a box to tick once its label is right. Print a new one when a recipe or where you sell changes.