For many Canadian brand owners the US marketplace is an excellent next step to increase distribution.
However, US food regulations are different from Canada. US food is regulated federally by the FDA: https://www.fda.gov/ and the USDA: https://www.usda.gov/
A food product sold in the US will need a different label than the Canadian sold version.
The differences include:
language requirements
net weight formats
ingredient list format, how different ingredients are listed
nutrition panel content, size, format
vitamin addition requirements
health and nutrition claims
some products have regulated standards of identities that differ between countries
country of origin requirements
company address requirements
location of required information
and more
For brand owners expanding distribution to the US, it is wise to engage with regulatory expertise to review the product, ingredients, create a label and select product claims compliant with US regulations.
It is good to work with a company with an established track record of expertise in the complexity of US regulations.
An example of a well regarded company with this expertise is NSF Canada located in Guelph, Ontario: https://www.nsfcanada.ca/
For more info, the CFIA has resources related to exporting food: https://inspection.canada.ca/exporting-food-plants-or-animals/food-exports/a-step-by-step-guide/eng/1503509841003/1503509896626
Written By: Marlis Bens Venturepark Labs Program Manager