Advertising requirements for nutrient content claims
Nutrient content claims that are presented in any form of advertising must meet all applicable conditions listed in the Table of Permitted Nutrient Content Statements and Claims, incorporated by reference into the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), and sections D.01.004 and D.02.002 of the FDR. For more information, refer to Specific nutrient content claim requirements.
Media-specific requirements vary, depending on whether:
- the advertisement is for radio or television
- the advertisement is for other types of media
- the advertisement is placed by the manufacturer, or
- the advertisement is placed by someone other than the manufacturer (that is, a third party)
The Decision trees for nutrient content claim advertising requirements provide a tool to aid in identifying advertising requirements of nutrient content claims.
On this page
- Advertisements placed by the manufacturer versus third party
- General advertising requirements: Advertisements other than those for radio or television
- Advertisements for radio or television
- Advertisements making vitamin and mineral nutrient content claims
- Decision trees for nutrient content claim advertising requirements
Advertisements placed by the manufacturer versus third party
Advertisements placed by or on the direction of the manufacturer or distributor include, but are not limited to:
- advertisements for which the manufacturer has paid
- public service spots which are sponsored by the manufacturer
- advertisements placed on behalf of the manufacturer by an advertising agency or media outlet
- information placed on the manufacturer's web site, and
- other forms of advertisements or publicity under the control of the manufacturer
Sometimes, advertisements for prepackaged products are not made or placed by or on the direction of the manufacturer, but rather by a third party. Examples of third parties are:
- a marketing board
- a retailer, when advertising another company's product
- a non-governmental health organization, or
- other organizations without label control (OWL)
The decision trees are structured to aid in identifying the general requirements based on who placed the advertisement.
General advertising requirements: Advertisements other than those for radio or television
Examples of media other than radio or television that may contain advertisements include: print, flyers, billboards, internet.
The Decision tree: Advertisement other than radio or television provides a tool to aid in identifying the appropriate requirements. This information is also set out in section B.01.505 of the FDR.
Advertisements for radio or television
The Decision tree: Radio or television advertisements provides a tool to aid in identifying the appropriate requirements. This information is also set out in section B.01.506 of the FDR.
In this decision tree, the claims found in Group B are the comparative nutrient content claims listed in paragraphs B.01.506(1)(a) to (i) of the FDR.
Advertisements making vitamin and mineral nutrient content claims
The Decision tree: Advertising requirements for vitamin and mineral nutrient content claims provides a tool to aid in identifying the appropriate requirements. This information is also set out in sections D.01.004 and D.02.002 of the FDR.
Refer to the appropriate section for more information on making vitamin and mineral nutrient content claims on a food label or advertisement.
Decision trees for nutrient content claim advertising requirements
The first step to determine any advertising requirements for nutrient content claims is the decision tree: Category of advertising requirements. It categorizes the advertising requirements for a nutrient content claim on a food depending on:
- the type of claim being presented in the advertisement, and
- the medium which is used to present the advertisement
The claims found in Group A of this decision tree are comparative nutrient content claims for which specific conditions for label or advertising are outlined in column 3 of the Table of Permitted Nutrient Content Statements and Claims.
The first decision tree determines which of the decision trees to follow in the next steps.
- Decision tree: Category of advertising requirements
- Decision tree: General advertising requirements
- Decision tree: Advertising requirements for vitamin and mineral nutrient content claims
- Decision tree: Advertisement other than radio or television
- Decision tree: Radio or television advertisements
Decision tree: Category of advertising requirements
Decision tree: General advertising requirements
Description - Decision tree: Advertising requirements for vitamin and mineral nutrient content claims
Decision tree: Advertisement other than radio or television
Decision tree: Radio or television advertisements
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