Why can’t I make a net quantity declaration in centilitres?

Canadian regulations specify that all net quantities less than one litre must be declared in millilitres. There is a permitted exception that 500 ml may be declared as 0.5 l. All net quantities one litre and over must be declared in litres.

Why can’t I abbreviate millilitres as ML?

It is acceptable to abbreviate litre as l, l, or L in Canada. The official international metric system uses only “l”.

The correct abbreviation for “milli” is “m”. The upper case “M” is the abbreviation for “mega”. Where a millilitre is a one thousandth of a litre, a megalitre is one million litres. Use of “ML” for millilitre is incorrect and results in a false declaration of net quantity.

Is the American spelling of “liter” acceptable?

The LCBO will accept American spellings.

What is the significance of the “e” that sometimes appears next to the net quantity on some labels?

The symbol denotes an average net weight system in the European Union. It’s use is permitted by CFIA.

What issues are there with declaring the net quantity in pints or fluid ounces?

Official net quantity declarations must be in metric units. Additional net quantity declarations may also appear on the label in conjunction with the Canadian requirements provided they are clear and concise to the consumer. This includes identification of whether pints or fluid ounces are US or Imperial/Canadian. A US pint must always be declared as “US pint”. An imperial fluid ounce must always be declared as an imperial or Canadian fluid ounce.

Why does the numeric portion of the net quantity declaration need to be so big?

Net quantity declarations are regulated by consumer legislation. Historically, net quantity has been the area of greatest concern so the size requirement for net quantity increases with the size of the container to make that information prominent. A typical beverage alcohol bottle or can, larger than 50 ml but less than 1.75 l, requires the numeral to be 3.2mm. See the LCBO Product Packaging Standards, Chart 9 for a table of required sizes based on display surface. The largest surface of the container should be used as the basis for the determination.

All of the requirements for net quantity declarations are specified in the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act and Regulations. These are accessible on the internet.