food labeling regulations Flashcards
1
Q
what are the players in food labeling regulations
A
- governement of canada
- food companies
- consumers
2
Q
what groups are included in food labeling governemental regulators
A
- health canada
- CFIA
3
Q
what groups are included in food labeling in food companies?
A
- food importers
- food producers
- food distributers
4
Q
who is the main consumer target?
A
the general public
5
Q
what is the CFIA’s mandate?
A
CFIA is dedicated to safeguarding food, plant and animals, which enhances the health and well being of Canada’s people, environment and economy.
6
Q
when was the CFIA created
A
1997
7
Q
what are the 4 departments of the CFIA
A
- agriculture and agri-foods canada
- fisheries and oceans canada
- health canada
- industry canada
8
Q
what does the CFIA do?
A
it overlooks the federal food inspection system, regulatory programs & activites on animal health and plant protection
9
Q
CFIA in numbers
A
- around 7K employees in cadada
located in 4 regions; west (bc, alberta, sask & manitoba), ontario, quebec, atlantic (PEI, newfoundland) - located in 4 regions in quebec: qc city, montreal east, montreal west, st-hyacinthe
-has 13 federal acts
-38 regulations
10
Q
what are some sectors regulated by the CFIA?
A
-slaughterhouses
-dairy establishments
-egg processing stations
-fruit and vegetable producers
-locations of preparing and packaging foods
-livestock producers and importers
-forestry operations
much more
11
Q
what type of professionals work for the CFIA?
A
inspectors (includes dieticians) biologist/chemist researchers financial officers technicians computer specialists....
12
Q
top priorities of the CFIA
A
- recall unsafe products
- take preventive measures under a risk based approach
- take appropriate compliance and enforcement related to food safety, labeling & practices
13
Q
some of the activities of the CFIA include
A
- managing food safety risks
- coordinating food recalls
- certifying exports
- promoting science based regulations
- boarder control
14
Q
role of health Canada in food labeling
A
- list of ingredients
- nutritional facts
- instructions for food use/ safety
15
Q
what is the role of the CFIA in food labeling?
A
- enforces the policies that are applied by health canada
- administers and enforces policies related to misrepresentation, labeling, advertising, grade, etc.
16
Q
what is the food and drugs act regulation
A
- it is canada’s primary food legislation
- focuses on standards of identity, grade and composition
17
Q
what are some basic labeling requirements
A
- needs to be bilingual
- best before date need to be identifies
- must have nutrition information
- common name
- net quantity
- ingredient list
- company name & address
18
Q
what is a common name?
A
name prescribed by regulation or name it is commonly known as.
everything needs to be labeled with common name except fruits and vegetables wrapped in cellophane.
19
Q
What are the requirement to name a product “jam”
A
- Product optained by processing fruit, fruit pulp or canned food and boiled to a suitable consistency.
- shall contain >45% of the named fruit & 66% of water soluble solids
- may contain added pectin, preservatives, pH adjusting agent/antifoaming agent
- shall NOT contain apple or rhubarb.
20
Q
identify the following to its respective name:
Juice from apple. Now sweetener added
A
Apple juice
21
Q
identify the following to its respective name: apple juice + added sweetener
A
apple drink
22
Q
identify the following to its respective name: apple drink that contains atleast 25% of apple juice
A
apple juice drink
23
Q
identify the following to its respective name: when % of juice in drink is less than 25%
A
made with XX% of fruit juice
24
Q
identify the following to its respective name: doesn’t contain real juice.
A
has the taste of freshly made apple juice
25
give examples of standardized foods that get modified.
maple syrup --> maple flavored syrup
ice cream --> frozen dairy dessert
apple sauce --> apple snack
26
on what should the best before date appear on?
foods with a durable life of <90 days & needs to be accompanied by storage instructions
27
what is the prescribed best before format?
best before/ meilleur avant: 2014 Feb 21
28
How must the company name & address be labeled?
-in either official language
- may have country or origin
may indicate plant where product is manufactured.
29
how must the quantity be indicated on food products?
in volume or weight using metric units
| may carryt only a count ex: hot dog buns --> 6 buns
30
why should the quantity of food be indicated on products?
allows consumers to calculate nutritional information of the full package, versus one serving
31
how must ingredients appear on food products?
- appear based on weight in decreasing order
* exception: spices, herbs & flavouring, additives vitamins and minerals
- components of ingredients must also be shown
ex: chocolate chip (chocolate liquor, cocoa, butter, sugar, soya lecithin, vanilla extract)
32
how has the ingredient format been modified?
- black font
- title “ingrediant” and “contains” are in bold
- neutral background
- bullets to separate ingredients
- food color listed by their name
- sugar based ingrediants are grouped
33
How are upper and lower cases regulated in new ingredient format
- upper case to show first letter of each ingredient, or in the case of an additive shown by an acronym then all in upper case.
- upper case of the alpha descriptor of a vitamin, microorganism or additive.
components grouped in parentheses are in lower case.
34
regulation on sugar-based ingredients in prepackaged foods
- mono or disaccharide
- ingredient that is a sweetening agent
- functional substitute for a sweetening agent.
35
what is meant by a function substitute for a sweetening agent?
with respect to prepackaged foods, a food-- other than any sweetener or sweetening agent, including any sugar that replace a sweetening agent and has one of more functions like a sweetening agent such as sweetening, thickening, texturing or caramelization.
36
how should honey be identified in a list of ingredients
not included in groupinh
37
what are the most common causes of undeclared allergens?
- incomplete cleaning (ingredient cross over)
- labeling error
- rework with allergen included
- ingrediant changes/substitutions/ additions
38
what always need to be declared when the item or protein derivative is present
- peanuts
- tree nuts
- milk products
- eggs
- soy
- seafood
- sesame seeds
- wheat or triticale
- mustard seeds
- sulphites (10 ppm or more)
39
what nuts are included in tree nuts
almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, macadamia, pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, etc.
40
what are food additives?
chemical substance added to food during preparation or storage.
needs to be approved by health canada
41
labeling requirement when using artificial sweeteners?
indication on label that the product contains that artificial sweetener
indicated on the ingredient list
42
can all foods be enriched in vitamins, minerals and AA?
no, only those listed on a certain list.
43
labeling regulations ia a 3 part process
1- nutrition labeling
requirements for availability, content & format
2- nutrient content claims
consolidation of 47 claims in the food and drug regulations (not mandatory)
3- health claims
not mandatory
44
what are some exceptions to nutritional labeling
```
-foods with significant amounts of “0”
Ex: coffee beans, spices
-beverages with more than 0.5% alcohol
-fresh fruits & veggies
-raw single ingredient meat or poultry (this doesn’t include ground meat and poultry)
-one bite confections
-prepared foods (bakery, salads etc.)
```
45
how can nutritional labeling exceptions be lost?
if there is a health claim, health logo, etc.
- if artificial sweeteners are added
- if minerals/ vitamins are added
- vitamins and minerals declared as components in ingredient list
46
what are some Nutrition facts table?
- serving size needs to stand out
- daily values are updated
- calories are larger and in bold
- amount of minerals in mg is shown
- daily value for sugar is added
47
what are the alternative formats for nutrition fact tables
- bilingual
-bilingual simplified horizontal
simplified linear
48
DV are also adjusted
- no DV for CHO & proteins
- fiber DV increased by 3g
- fats increased to 75g
- cholesterol is optional
49
what is the DV accorded for sugar
100g/day
| it is also highlighted in footnotes to limit sugary food intake (>15% DV)
50
new regulation on serving size
single serving: calories must be declared for the entire package is net quantity of food is within 200% of reference amount.
multiple serving: serving sizes will be based on regulated reference amount
51
would a 473 mL milk carton be considered single or multiple serving
single serving hence would be identified as per carton.
52
serving size is based on the type of food
- can be measured
- comes in pieces or is divided
- amounts typically eaten
53
what is a nutrient claim
describe the level of a nutrient in a food
- it is regulated
- often located on front of package
ex: low in fat, 0 trans fat,, source of vitamin c.
54
nutrient content claims are based on what?
- a regulated reference amount which is provided for 153 food categories
- serving size states
55
to claim that a food is “low in ____” it must?
have only a small amount
| ex: < 3g of fat per reference amount
56
to claim that a food is “free in ____” it must?
have none or hardly any of the given nutrient
| ex: sodium free means it has < 5mg per reference amount
57
to claim that a food is “reduced in ____” it must?
composed of at least 25% less of the nutrient in comparison to a similar product
ex: reduced in calories
58
to claim that a food is “light” it must?
can be used in foods that are reduced in fat or in calories
59
what what a food have to say it is a “source of"
contains a significan amount of a given nutrient
ex: source of fiber h=must have >2g per reference amount
vitamins/minerals --> 5% of DV
60
what what a food have to say it is a “ high or good source of"
contains a high amount of the nutrient
ex: high in vitamin C
High in fiber >4g per reference amount
61
what what a food have to say it is a “ very high or excellent source of"
contains very high amounts of a nutrient
| ex: very high in fiber >6g per reference amount
62
is it ok to label a food promoting it as a way to treat cancer, diabetes, obesity etc?
No it is prohibited
63
disease risk reduction claims
-needs to specify the condition the food meets to qualify for the claim
specify the exact wording for the claim
- a claim cannot be used for children under 2
64
what is needed to qualify for sodium and hypertension claim?
- needs to be low in saturated and trans fa
- LESS THA 0.5% ALCOHOL
- more than 40 kcals
65
what is a function claim?
Describe well-established roles of energy or known nutrients that are essential for the maintenance of good health or for normal growth and development
66
what is needed to claim that something is organic
3 types of labeling requirements
->95% organic
>70% -<95% organic
product not certified organic but contains organic ingredients
67
what product contains the canada organic logo
only products that are >95% organic
68
how must imported organic products be labelled
name of country or origin
“product of ____”
“imported _____”
need to be located close to the organic logo
69
foods that are not >95% organic may not not claim that they are organic but may claim what instead?
x% of organic ingredients if between 70-95% organic
70
if less than 70% organic how is it identified
the ingredient itself is identified but not the product itself.
71
what are the guidelines for product of canada
manufacturing & manpower must be canadian
product must contain 98% canadian ingredients
may contain less than 2% imported ingredients
72
what are the guidelines for made in canada products
last transformation must be done in canada
