Quebec’s French Language Packaging Requirements: What Pet Food Brands Need to Know Before June 2027

If your brand sells pet food in Quebec, packaging compliance is about to become a lot more important.

Quebec’s updated language legislation—commonly referred to as Bill 96—introduces stricter requirements for how French must appear on product packaging. While the law officially came into force in June 2025, a transition period allows existing packaging to remain in the market until June 1, 2027. After that date, any non-compliant packaging cannot be sold in Quebec.

For many pet food brands, this represents more than a simple translation update. It has real implications for packaging layout, ingredient panels, and overall label structure.

What Is Bill 96—and Why Does It Matter?

Bill 96 strengthens Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, aiming to ensure French is clearly visible and properly presented on consumer goods sold in the province.

For packaging, this means French cannot be treated as an afterthought. In practical terms, brands must ensure that French is at least as prominent as English across required packaging elements.

Retailers and regulators are expected to enforce these rules more strictly once the transition period ends, and fines for non-compliance can be significant.

Key Packaging Requirements to Be Aware Of

While federal regulations already require bilingual labelling in Canada, Quebec’s rules go further—particularly around visibility and presentation. Key considerations include:

• French must be as prominent as English.
• Font size, placement, and visual hierarchy all matter. French cannot appear smaller, secondary, or less noticeable than English.
• Complete ingredient declarations in French
• Ingredient lists must be fully translated, clear, and easy to find. Partial translations or inconsistent formatting increase compliance risk.
• Stricter enforcement than before
• These requirements are not new in concept, but Quebec is now enforcing them more rigorously—especially after June 2027.

A helpful overview of Canadian bilingual labelling and Quebec-specific requirements can be found here.

What This Means for Pet Food Packaging

In the pet food category, ingredient panels are often dense, highly regulated, and space constrained. As a result, many brands are discovering that their current layouts won’t meet Quebec’s updated expectations without adjustment.

We’re seeing a clear trend across the industry:

• More structured and clearly defined ingredient panels
• Rebalanced layouts to give French equal visual weight
• Earlier involvement of regulatory and packaging teams during redesigns

These changes aren’t always dramatic, but they do require planning.

Why Timing Matters

Although June 2027 may sound far off, packaging changes take time, especially for brands managing multiple SKUs, materials, and regulatory reviews.

Waiting until the deadline approaches can lead to:

• Rushed redesigns
• Excess obsolete packaging inventory
• Retail disruption in Quebec

On the other hand, brands already planning packaging updates over the next 6–12 months have a valuable opportunity to factor these requirements in now, reducing risk and avoiding last-minute fixes.

The Bottom Line

If your pet food products are sold in Quebec, packaging compliance is not optional after June 1, 2027. Any non-compliant packaging on the shelf will be subject to enforcement.

Understanding the rules early and building them into your packaging plans can help avoid fines, disruptions, and unnecessary stress down the line.

At Layfield Flexible Films, we believe in thinking alongside our customers. Even when the topic isn’t about materials or printing, sharing insights that help brands stay compliant and prepared is part of being a responsible packaging partner.

If you have questions about how these requirements may affect your current or future packaging, it’s worth starting the conversation sooner rather than later.

CONTACT US