Packaging Labelling Basics for Canada: Bilingual Labels and Quebec
Updated · Vorex Packaging
Packaging for consumer products sold in Canada generally needs key information in both English and French, including the product's common name and net quantity in metric units, plus the dealer's name and principal place of business. Food, cosmetics and other categories have extra rules, and Quebec's Charter of the French Language adds requirements. Check current rules before printing.
This guide is a general overview to help you plan packaging artwork. It is not legal advice, rules change, and requirements depend on your product category. Check current rules with the relevant federal and provincial authorities, or a regulatory professional, before you print.
Who sets the rules
- Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations: cover many prepackaged non-food consumer products and are administered federally.
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA): food labelling under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations and the Food and Drug Regulations.
- Health Canada: cosmetics, natural health products, drugs, cannabis and consumer product safety labelling.
- Competition Bureau: misleading claims, including environmental and textile labelling matters.
- Quebec: the Charter of the French Language, overseen by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF).
Bilingual labelling
For most consumer products, mandatory label information must appear in both English and French. Under the consumer packaging rules, this generally includes the product identity (its common or generic name) and the net quantity. The dealer's name and principal place of business are also required, and may generally appear in either language. There are some exemptions, such as for certain local or test-market products, so check whether any apply to you.
Plan bilingual text from the start. French text is often longer than English, so leave space on each panel rather than squeezing it in later. Many brands design a principal display panel with both languages side by side or stacked, and put longer text on side panels.
Net quantity in metric units
Net quantity is generally declared in metric units, such as grams, millilitres or units by count, on the principal display panel. Canadian or imperial units may usually be shown in addition. Minimum type sizes for the net quantity depend on the size of the display panel, so check the current requirements for your package.
Category-specific rules
- Food: items such as the ingredient list, allergens, the Nutrition Facts table, durable life dates and front-of-package nutrition symbols for some foods. CFIA publishes an industry labelling tool.
- Cosmetics: an ingredient list using standard ingredient names, along with bilingual mandatory information and any required warnings.
- Natural health products and drugs: product licence numbers and detailed bilingual labelling.
- Cannabis: strict rules on packaging, including plain packaging, health warnings, the standardized cannabis symbol and child-resistant containers.
- Textiles: fibre content labelling and dealer identity.
Quebec and the Charter of the French Language
Quebec has its own language law that goes beyond federal bilingual rules. In general, inscriptions on a product, its container or wrapping, and documents supplied with it must be in French. Another language may also appear, but it should not be given greater prominence than the French. The Charter was amended in 2022, and related regulations on product inscriptions and trademarks took effect in 2025, including changes to how generic or descriptive words within trademarks must be handled. Because these rules have changed recently, check the OQLF's current guidance if you sell in Quebec.
Environmental claims
If your packaging says recyclable, compostable or similar, the claim must be accurate and supported. The Competition Act was amended in 2024 with provisions on environmental claims, and the Competition Bureau has published guidance. Several provinces also have extended producer responsibility programs for packaging. Check current rules before printing claims.
Practical checklist for artwork
- Identify which regulations apply to your product category.
- Prepare English and French versions of all mandatory text.
- Declare net quantity in metric units on the principal display panel.
- Include the dealer's name and principal place of business.
- Check Quebec requirements if you sell there.
- Leave space for barcodes, lot codes and dates.
- Have a fluent French reader review the translation.
- Check the digital proof carefully before approving.
Vorex prints the artwork you approve and can help with layout, including fitting bilingual text on the dieline. Responsibility for label content stays with the brand, so confirm requirements before you approve the proof.
