Substance Law provides legal and regulatory label review services for consumer packaged goods (CPG) sold in Canada — the general packaging, bilingual, claims, and marketing compliance rules that apply across cosmetics, household products, general merchandise, and other consumer goods that don’t fall under a food- or drug-specific regime. We assist manufacturers, importers, and brand owners in ensuring their product labels comply with Canadian regulatory requirements before entering the market.
Product labelling in Canada is governed by a complex framework of federal legislation and regulatory guidance. Non-compliant labels can result in enforcement action, product recalls, import refusals, or delays in market entry.
We review labels for compliance with applicable laws and provide practical guidance to reduce regulatory risk. This page covers CPG label reviews in detail, along with natural health product labelling (which doesn’t have its own dedicated page). If you’re specifically selling a food or drug product, our dedicated pages for those categories go into the food- and drug-specific rules that this page doesn’t duplicate.
Which Label Review Do You Need?
- Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) — general packaging, bilingual, claims, and marketing compliance for consumer products — covered on this page
- Food Label Reviews — Nutrition Facts Tables, allergen declarations, front-of-package labelling, and food-specific claims
- Drug Label Reviews — drug facts tables, approved indications, and product classification (drug vs. NHP vs. cosmetic)
- Natural Health Products — NPN requirements and product licence alignment, covered below
Regulatory Framework for CPG Labelling in Canada
CPG labelling in Canada is anchored primarily in the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and its regulations, which set out the general disclosure, bilingual, and metric requirements that apply to most prepackaged consumer products sold in Canada. Depending on the product, additional regimes can also apply — the Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug Regulations for food and drug products specifically, and the Natural Health Products Regulations for NHPs.
Regulatory oversight for CPG labelling generally falls to the Competition Bureau (for misleading advertising and packaging claims) and Measurement Canada (for net quantity and metric declarations), alongside Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency where a product also falls under a food, drug, or NHP regime. Each product category has distinct requirements that must be assessed individually — a general CPG label review looks different from a food or drug label review, which is why we maintain separate, more detailed pages for those categories.
CPG Label Review Services We Provide
We conduct detailed regulatory label reviews tailored to the product category and intended market.
Our CPG label review services include:
- full label compliance review under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act
- ingredient and formulation alignment
- claims and marketing review
- bilingual labelling assessment
- net quantity and metric declaration compliance
- regulatory classification support (including whether a product is really a CPG, or falls under a food, drug, or NHP regime instead)
- risk identification and mitigation
We provide clear, actionable feedback to help bring products into compliance. If your product is a food or drug specifically, see our food label review and drug label review pages for guidance tailored to those categories.
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Label Compliance in Detail
CPG products — cosmetics, household goods, general merchandise, and other consumer products that fall outside the food and drug frameworks — are still subject to a substantial body of labelling and marketing rules. Getting this right matters just as much as it does for a regulated food or drug product, since enforcement, product recalls, and marketplace complaints can follow non-compliant CPG labelling too.
We assist with:
- Packaging and labelling compliance: ensuring mandatory disclosures (product identity, net quantity, dealer name and address) appear correctly and prominently under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act.
- Misleading advertising risks: reviewing claims and packaging design against Competition Bureau guidance to reduce the risk of misleading representation complaints.
- Product classification issues: confirming whether a product is properly treated as a general CPG or whether it actually falls under a food, drug, NHP, or cosmetic-specific regime with its own rules (a common source of compliance risk for new consumer brands).
- Bilingual and metric requirements: English/French labelling and correct metric (and, where used, imperial) net quantity declarations.
- General consumer protection compliance: alignment with broader consumer protection and marketing law as it applies to packaging and labelling.
CPG label reviews often require cross-analysis across multiple regulatory regimes, particularly where a product sits close to the line between a general consumer good and a food, drug, or NHP — getting that classification right early avoids costly relabelling or enforcement action later.
Natural Health Product (NHP) Label Reviews
Natural health products must comply with the Natural Health Products Regulations and require product licensing.
We review:
- Natural Product Number (NPN) requirements
- ingredient disclosure and medicinal ingredients
- recommended use and purpose statements
- risk information and cautionary statements
- claims compliance
NHP labelling must match the approved product licence and regulatory requirements.
Bilingual Labelling Requirements
Most consumer products sold in Canada must comply with bilingual labelling requirements.
We assess:
- English and French translation requirements
- placement and prominence of required information
- compliance with federal bilingual standards
Failure to comply with bilingual requirements can result in enforcement action or product rejection.
Why Work With Substance Law for CPG Label Reviews
- experience with regulated products and compliance frameworks
- understanding of Competition Bureau, Health Canada, and CFIA expectations
- practical, business-focused advice
- support for Canadian and international companies
- assistance across CPG, NHP, and — through our dedicated pages — food and drug categories
We provide legal guidance to help businesses bring compliant products to market.
Work With a CPG Label Compliance Lawyer in Canada
If you are launching or selling consumer products in Canada, label compliance is a critical step in regulatory approval and market entry.
Substance Law assists businesses with CPG and NHP label reviews and compliance strategy. See our dedicated food label review and drug label review pages if your product falls into one of those categories specifically.
Contact Substance Law to discuss your label review.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CPG label review in Canada?
A CPG (consumer packaged goods) label review is a legal and regulatory assessment of a general consumer product’s label — packaging, bilingual, claims, and marketing compliance — to ensure it meets Canadian requirements, primarily under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, before the product is sold.
How is a CPG label review different from a food or drug label review?
A CPG label review looks at general packaging, bilingual, and marketing compliance under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act. Food and drug products are subject to additional, more specific rules under the Food and Drugs Act, Food and Drug Regulations, and Safe Food for Canadians Regulations — see our food label review and drug label review pages for those categories specifically.
Who regulates CPG labelling in Canada?
General CPG labelling falls primarily to the Competition Bureau and Measurement Canada under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act. Products that also fall under a food, drug, or NHP regime are additionally regulated by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Do natural health products have special labelling rules?
Yes. Natural health products must comply with the Natural Health Products Regulations and must match the approved product licence.
Why are claims on labels regulated?
Claims are regulated to prevent misleading consumers and to ensure that health and performance claims are accurate and supported.
Can a lawyer help prevent product recalls due to labelling?
Yes. Legal review of labels can identify compliance issues early and reduce the risk of enforcement action or product recalls.
