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Labelling requirements for processed egg products

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Overview

In respect of a processed egg product, egg means an egg of a domestic chicken of the species Gallus domesticus or of a domestic turkey of the species Meleagris gallopavo. It does not include a balut [1, SFCR].

This section summarizes the labelling requirements that apply to imported processed egg products, as well as those that are manufactured, processed, treated, preserved, packaged or labelled in Canada for interprovincial trade and for export. In some cases, the labelling requirements would also apply when these are intraprovincially traded.

Processed egg products are subject to the provisions of the:

When sold intraprovincially, processed egg products are subject to the labelling requirements under the FDA and FDR, as well as specific requirements of the SFCA and SFCR that apply to prepackaged foods sold in Canada, regardless of the level of trade. Provincial regulations may also have labelling requirements that apply when these products are sold within that province.

The labelling requirements detailed in the following section are specific to processed egg products. Refer to the Industry Labelling Tool for additional core labelling and voluntary claims and statements requirements that apply to all prepackaged foods.

Common name

The common name must appear on the principal display panel of prepackaged processed egg products [B.01.006(1), FDR; 218(1)(a), SFCR].

For processed egg products that meet 1 of the standards set out in the Canadian Standards of Identity, Volume 2 - Processed egg products or Division 22 of the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), the name appearing in boldface type, but not in italics, in this volume or in the FDR is the prescribed common name for that product that must be used for labelling purposes [1, SFCR]. This applies whether the processed egg product is prepackaged or not [201, SFCR].

For egg white products, the words "Egg White" within the prescribed common name may be replaced by "Egg-White" or "Albumen" (for example, "Dried Egg White" or "Dried Egg-White" or "Dried Albumen", as per section 4 of the Canadian Standards of Identity, Volume 2 - Processed egg products and B.22.036 of the FDR).

For more information, refer to Common name and Legibility and location.

Net quantity

Every container of consumer prepackaged processed egg products must be labelled with the net quantity. The declaration of net quantity must be shown on the principal display panel [221, SFCR].

Most liquid products are sold by volume; however, all consumer prepackaged processed egg products must be sold by weight [231, SFCR; Units of Measurement for the Net Quantity Declaration of Certain Foods, table 2, items 10 and 11].

Refer to Net quantity for more information, including minimum type size requirements.

Name and principal place of business

The name and principal place of business of the person by or for whom the processed egg product was manufactured, prepared, produced, stored, packaged or labelled must appear on any part of the label other than solely the bottom of the container [B.01.005(1) and (2), B.01.007(1.1)(a), FDR; 218(1)(b) and (2), SFCR].

For more details, including manner of declaring, refer to Name and principal place of business.

Country of origin

The words "Product of" / "produit de", followed by the name of the country of origin, must be declared on the label of an imported prepackaged processed egg product. This information must be shown on any part of the label other than solely the bottom of the container [245, 259, SFCR].

When a prepackaged processed egg product is dried whole egg, dried yolk, or dried egg white (dried albumen), some of which was imported into Canada from another country, the words "Product of Canada and" / "produit du Canada et", followed by the name of the country of origin of the imported product, must be declared on any part of the label other than solely the bottom of the container [245, 260, SFCR].

Country of origin declaration must be shown in:

Note: In the SFCR, country of origin is referred to as foreign state of origin.

Date markings and storage instructions

Many processed egg products have a durable life of 90 days or less. The same requirements for date markings and storage instructions that apply to other prepackaged foods also apply to processed egg products. For more information, including manner of declaring, refer to Date markings and storage instructions.

Nutrition labelling

Front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol

Most prepackaged foods sold in Canada are required to be labelled with a nutrition symbol when the amount of saturated fat, sugars and/or sodium is equal to or higher than the specified nutrient thresholds [B.01.350, FDR].

Liquid, dried or frozen whole eggs and whole egg mixes are conditionally exempt from the nutrition symbol labelling requirements [B.01.350(6)(c), FDR]. See Foods exempt from the front-of-package (FOP) nutrition symbol requirements for details on the exemptions.

Inspection legend

When traded interprovincially or exported, the inspection legend set out in Figure 1 of Schedule 2 of the SFCR must appear on the label of prepackaged processed egg products, provided the conditions set out in section 181 of the SFCR are met, including the standards set out in the Canadian Standards of Identity, Volume 2 - Processed egg products [258(a), SFCR]. Refer to Inspection marks for more information on inspection legends.

It is the responsibility of the regulated party to accurately reproduce the inspection legend. Refer to Legibility requirements for the inspection legend for an image of Figure 1 of Schedule 2 of the SFCR and for information on minimum type size and other legibility requirements.

If prepackaged processed egg products are imported, the official inspection mark of the foreign state of origin must be shown on the label [258(b), SFCR].

The inspection legend and the official inspection mark of the foreign state of origin may be shown on any part of the label, except the bottom [245(3), SFCR].

Lot code

For information on the requirement for a lot code or other unique identifier for traceability purposes, consult Traceability-specific labelling requirements.

Note that recommendations have been made regarding the use of potentially misleading lot codes. For additional information, refer to the Lot code section on the Date markings and storage instructions page.

As well, refer to Legibility requirements for other specific labelling topics for information on the legibility requirements that are applicable to lot codes.

Inedible egg

As a general rule, the SFCA and Regulations do not apply to food that is sent or conveyed from 1 province to another or that is imported or exported, provided the food is not intended or sold for use as food and the label indicates:

The above also applies to inedible processed egg products.

Definitions

Common name
Common name means the name of the processed egg product that is printed in boldface type, but not in italics, in the Canadian Standards of Identity, Volume 2 - Processed egg products or division 22 of the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) [1, SFCR].
Consumer prepackaged
Consumer prepackaged, in respect of a food, means packaged in a container in the manner in which the food is ordinarily sold to or used or purchased by an individual — or in which the food may reasonably be expected to be obtained by an individual — without being repackaged, to be used for non-commercial purposes [1, SFCR].
Container
Container means an outer receptacle or covering that is used or to be used in connection with a food. It includes a wrapper and a confining band but does not include a conveyance or any container that is an integral part of a conveyance [1, SFCR].
Conveyance
Conveyance means a vessel, aircraft, train, motor vehicle, trailer or other means of transportation, including a cargo container [2, SFCA].
Foreign state
Foreign state includes a WTO Member as defined in subsection 2(1) of the World Trade Organization Agreement Implementation Act [1, SFCR].
Licence holder
Licence holder means a person who has been issued a licence under paragraph 20(1)(a) or (b) of the SFCA.
Person

Person means an individual or an organization as defined in section 2 of the Criminal Code [2, FDA; 2, SFCA].

A person may therefore be an individual or an organization, and may include a consumer, a manufacturer, a retailer, an importer, a restaurant, any other commercial or industrial enterprise, an institution such as a school or hospital, and anyone else who sells, uses, or buys a food.

Prepackaged
Prepackaged, in respect of a food, means packaged in a container in the manner in which the food is ordinarily sold to or used or purchased by a person, and includes consumer prepackaged [1, SFCR].
Processed egg product

Processed egg product means a food for which a standard is set out in the Canadian Standards of Identity, Volume 2 - Processed egg products [1, SFCR].

This includes a liquid, dried or frozen food that contains at least 50 % by weight of frozen egg, frozen egg mix, liquid egg, liquid egg mix, dried egg or dried egg mix, but excludes cooked products.

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