To Your Health: Quick guide to new nutrition symbols

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“It’s a very quick way to look at products and identify if they’re high in saturated fats, sugars and sodium,” Sheppard said.

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She explained that eating a lot of these nutrients often can raise health risks.

The symbol looks like a magnifying glass and is always black and white. Sheppard said it usually appears on the front of the package, often in the top right corner. If a product is high in more than one nutrient, the symbol lists saturated fat first, then sugars, then sodium.

For shoppers comparing similar products, Sheppard said the symbol gives them a quick way to compare similar products. Like, this one has a sodium listing, and this one doesn’t,” she said.

She said shoppers can still look at the back of the package and check the Nutrition Facts panel for more details, like fibre content.

Sheppard said the symbol is especially helpful for people who are watching a specific health issue.

“If you’re somebody who’s worried about your heart health, it’s a really quick way to decide which product you want to include more regularly in your diet,” she said.

The requirement started on January 1, 2026. Sheppard said this change has been planned for a few years. Some shoppers may have noticed the symbol on products late last year as manufacturers got ready.

The symbol is not on every product. Sheppard said foods that are not high in saturated fat, sugar, or sodium will not have the symbol.

Some foods are left out for other reasons. Sheppard said fruits, vegetables, and other foods that are good for health do not need to show the symbol. For example, shoppers will not see it on an apple or on peaches canned in water or juice.

She said raw meats are also exempt because they have not been processed.

In some cases, Sheppard said the symbol would just repeat what is already obvious. For example, shoppers will not see it on a bag of sugar or a box of salt.

“It’s obvious because it’s sugar, salt, that those were going to be high in the relative components of those,” she said. Northern Health says the symbol is meant to make shopping easier by giving people clear information right away.