Do I need a Nutrition Facts panel?

If your product is prepackaged, and sold in a different place to where it is produced, the answer is probably yes.  There are exceptions if you make and sell it yourself at a Farmers’ Market or roadside stand, if the product’s Nutrition panel would be all “0”s (like tea, or some spices), or if it is not significantly processed (salad leaves or unground meat and seafood). You also need to declare nutrition values if you sell into foodservice or institutions, or to another company that uses your product as an ingredient. Check out the CFIA’s Nutrition Labelling Toolkit for more information.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of recipe-based (database) analysis?

Advantages: Database analysis is generally faster and less expensive than other nutritional analysis methods.  The use of standard values, or alternatively “worst case” (such as using a meat trim that is fattier than average) can provide better values in the long run, that cover more of your production. This is especially true if you have a lot of variability in your ingredients (seasonal or changing suppliers) that is hard to capture in actual samples,

Disadvantages: Using databases or recipes means that the declared values cannot be traced back to a specific sample.  There is also no “proof” that the product produced actually matches the recipe.  Processing (baking, frying, canning) can change nutrient values, which are not reflected in the recipe.  Success relies on well characterized ingredients and a closely followed recipe.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of lab analysis?

Advantages:  The ability to have hard analytical data is of great importance to many people.  Lab analysis is seen as the gold standard for nutrient characterization in many instances.  Where ingredients are not well known, or changed greatly by processing lab analysis is essential.

Disadvantages:  Lab testing is generally more costly, and takes longer to complete.  It relies totally on the sample submitted, so extreme care must be taken when selecting a sample for analysis (an atypical example will cause the Nutrition Facts panel to be inaccurate). During pilot or pre scale-up stages the product may not represent what will be sold later on.

How can combining lab and database analysis help me?

Combining lab analysis and recipe analysis can remove many of the limitations outlined above.  Processing changes can be accommodated by testing for, say, moisture; poorly characterized nutrients such as trans fat or vitamins can be confirmed. There is real power and confidence in results where the recipe and lab analysis confirm one another - differences between them can bring to light processing problems or otherwise undetectable lab errors.