Don’t be scared off by the French thing

Most Canadians do not speak French. Yes, Canada is a bilingual country, but really it’s only in the Provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick that people are speaking French as their primary language. People in Toronto and Vancouver speak English as their primary language. But just because very few people are speaking French in these cities, doesn’t mean the Canadian government will allow your English-only labeled product to be imported and sold. To meet the requirements for importing and selling food in Canada, you will need to have some parts of your label in French too. 

Don’t Overhaul – Start Small  

Don’t spend tons of money and time on overhauling your entire product packaging to meet the Canadian requirements before you’ve even made a single sale in Canada. Start small, use stickers on your existing packaging to get your launch into Canada started. You’ll be able to gather feedback on your product before locking yourself into a specific packaging layout or size.

Quebec and New Brunswick – Hold Off

Quebec and New Brunswick are provinces in Canada (similar to what the US calls States) and these provinces have the most regulations around French labeling. If you decide to sell in these provinces, you will most likely need to completely overhaul your packaging to meet their French requirements. This is mainly due to the laws that state the French translation needs to be the same size, if not larger, than the non-French text. So until you have some sales and wins under your belt, it’s best to hold off on launching into markets such as Montreal and Quebec City (both are urban cities in the province of Quebec). 

Consult an Expert 

The French thing is only part of the changes you’ll need to make to your packaging in order to sell your product in Canada. Updating your nutrition facts statements, including your ingredients and allergen warnings is also a critical component to consider. Some companies will charge thousands of dollars to do this work for you, which is too much. Go North CPG is a small company that can help you navigate your packaging needs without exorbitant fees. We focus on understanding what your manufacturing process is, so we can get you Canadian complaint packaging without hassle or big expenses.