Negative Claims

A "negative claim" is a statement about:

  • the absence of a particular ingredient, substance or class of substances in a food because the substance is not inherent to the food;
  • a substance that is not present in the food either through direct addition or through carry-over; or
  • a substance that has been removed from the final food.

Claims to the effect that a food does not contain an ingredient or substance must be factual and not misleading as required by subsection 5(1) of the Food and Drugs Act and section 7 of the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.

Generally, a negative statement pertaining to the absence or non-addition of a substance to a food is acceptable under the following conditions.

Examples of Negative Claims include: