Bilingual packaging and labelling requirements in Canada, as stated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

1. Bilingual packaging
guidelines in Canada
TeamClient Design Toolkit

2. White paper | April 2013 | Bilingual Packaging Guidelines | 1
Shikatani Lacroix is a leading branding and design firm
located in Toronto, Canada. The company wins
commissions from all around the world, across CPG, retail
and service industries, helping clients achieve success
within their operating markets. It does this by enabling its
clients’ brands to better connect with consumers through a
variety of core services including corporate identity,
naming and communication, brand experience, packaging,
retail, wayfinding and product design.
About the Author
Murtuza Kitabi - Director, Production
With 28 years of experience, Murtuza has gained a strong
understanding of all aspects of design and print
production. His impressive international resume includes a
varied educational background with a B.A. in Arts and
diplomas in Marketing & Advertising, Printing Technology
and Graphic Design. Prior to joining Shikatani Lacroix,
Murtuza was the advertising manager for Sony in Dubai,
U.A.E., where he managed the Sony brand experience. Now
he applies his extensive knowledge to Shikatani Lacroix’s
global client base. Murtuza, along with his team of
production designers, strives to translate innovative
concepts into effective printed pieces. He has been
instrumental in the success of various projects related to
packaging, retail and wayfinding design for both national
and international clients such as Johnson & Johnson,
Kruger Products, Maple Leaf Foods, PepsiCo Canada,
Second Cup, Petro-Canada, TD Canada Trust and Tetley.

3. White paper | April 2013 | Bilingual Packaging Guidelines | 2
What are the basic bilingual Packaging/Labelling
requirements in Canada?
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For products being sold nationally throughout
Canada, most information on a label must be in both
English and French and be of equal prominence in
accordance with the “Consumer Packaging and
Labelling Act and Regulations”, and the “Quebec
Charter of the French Language”.
Bilingual Requirements as stated by the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency:
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All mandatory information on food labels must be
shown in both official languages, i.e., French and
English, with one exception:
The identity and principal place of business of the
person by or for whom the prepackaged product
was manufactured, processed, produced or
packaged for resale, may be in either English or
French.
In addition, all information on the labels of the
following may be in one official language only:
Shipping containers that are not offered for sale to
consumers;
Local products sold in a local area in which one of
the official languages is the mother tongue of less
than 10 percent of the residents;
Official test market products; and
Specialty foods, as defined by the Food and Drug
Regulations.
The province of Quebec has additional requirements
concerning the use of the French language on all
products marketed within its jurisdiction. Information
on these requirements can be found on the Website
of l'Office de la langue française: http://
www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/
dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_11/
C11_A.html

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French Language Charter
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If the product is being sold in Quebec, all information
on the label, carton or shipping container must be
in French.
French must have equal prominence to another
language. This means that you cannot squish the
French copy to get it to fit in the same space as the
English as this is not equal prominence.
The colours chosen for French must be equally
visible. For example, you cannot pick a bright
prominent colour for English and a faded colour
where the text does not stand out as much as
the English.
The size of the letters must follow CFIA regulations
and English and French must be the same size.
Labels that are not in compliance with Quebec's
language regulations are subject to fines up to
$20,000.00 and are doubled for subsequent
offences.
The administration and enforcement of regulations
governing labelling for the Province of Quebec are
handled by the Quebec French Language Bureau
and the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et
de l'Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ).
**Exception is trademarks that have been registered with
CIPO. These are recommended to be in French, but not
required.

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Reference materials:
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Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising
http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/
guide/toce.shtml
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Guide to the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act
and Regulations
http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/eic/site/cbbc.nsf/eng/01248.html
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Charter of the French Language (English)
http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/
dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=2&file=/C_11/
C11_A.html
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Charter of the French Language (French)
http://www2.publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca/
dynamicSearch/telecharge.php?type=3&file=/C_11/
C11R9.HTM
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Selling or distributing your products in Québec infoguide for manufacturers and distributors
http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/infoguides/
infoguide_selling_distributing_200304.pdf
For more information, contact:
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President
Shikatani Lacroix
387 Richmond Street East
Toronto, Ontario
M5A 1P6
Telephone: 416-367-1999
Email: jplacroix@sld.com