Bilingual Packaging Canada: What You Need to Know

Canada is a made of two different official national languages, English and French.  It only makes sense that it would be a mandatory requirement for manufacturers to label packaging in both official languages.  If you are interested in selling products or designing packaging in Canada this information is vital for you to know and implement.

For products being sold throughout Canada, most information on the label must meet the bilingual requirements as stated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.  This means it must be in both English and French. It must also be of equal prominence on the package, in accordance with the “Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations” (managed by the Competition Bureau).  This includes product descriptions and metric measurement/quantity declarations.  

The only exceptions to this include:

• Shipping containers that are not offered for sale to consumers.
• Local products that are sold in a local area where the official language is less than 10 percent of the residents.
• Official test market products.
• Specialty foods, as defined by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
• Products in which knowledge of the language is essential to its use.  For example, greeting cards. In this case, information listed on these does not have to be bilingual.

All information on the labels of the above may be in the ONE official language only.

The province of Quebec has additional requirements when it comes to using the French language on products marketed within Quebec. Please see the Website of l’Office de la langue française for information on these requirements.

When it comes to food labeling/retail packaging,  these are the mandatory bi-lingual labeling requirements in Canada and must have both English and French translations on the label:

• Name
• Quantity declaration
• Business name / Manufacturer name and address
• List of Ingredients (including allergens)
• Nutrition Facts Table
• Expiration Date

For non-food products, these are the mandatory bi-lingual labeling requirements in Canada and must have both English and French translations on the label:

• Product Identity
• Product Quantity (net)
• Business name / Manufacturer name and address

There are a few other mandatory requirements for bilingual packaging in Canada.  Numbers are considered bilingual. Measurements must use the metric system.

Becoming familiar with the bilingual labeling requirements in Canada can help deter any setbacks that may take place due to some business owners not knowing these rules and regulations for selling products within Canada.  

For a more in-depth look into bilingual packaging requirements in Canada visit the Canadian Governments website here: https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cb-bc.nsf/eng/01248.html

---