This is a reminder that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) extended the compliance timelines for updating labels and advertising in certain ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products that use food additives.
On November 8, 2021, Health Canada authorized the use of “modified vinegar” as a preservative by adding it to the List of Permitted Preservatives. When used, “modified vinegar” or its permitted synonym must be declared in the list of ingredients as either an ingredient or a component of the food. Regulated parties had a 12-month transition period, starting November 8, 2021 and ending November 8, 2022, to bring their labels and advertising into compliance. The CFIA extended the transition period to end on November 8, 2023.
For more information, please see the notice to industry issued January 27, 2022.
In addition to declaring any food additives, industry is responsible to ensure that the information presented through labels and advertising is not false or misleading, and does not create an erroneous impression (for example, for standards of identity or method of production claims such as “natural”). The CFIA provides guidance for making natural claims, which was updated to include an outcome-based approach.
For information on labelling requirements, please refer to the Industry Labelling Tool. The CFIA will monitor compliance with all federal regulatory requirements for labelling and advertising and will conduct follow-up inspections to ensure the necessary changes have been made.