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Sources suggest that the new Canadian food guide could rely more on vegan than omnivore. the guide in a decade
Karpenkov Denis / Getty images
The lengthy process of updating Canada's Food Guide and nutrition labeling reforms will soon become a reality. Collectively known as the Canadian Healthy Eating Strategy, Health Canada's proposals were the subject of public consultation and, unfortunately, industry lobbying.
No one disputes the right of all Canadians to be heard on political proposals. based on neutral scientific evidence, not the persuasive budgets or lobbying of food manufacturers. We must ensure that conflicts of interest are identified and should not influence public health decisions.
Many may wonder why government proclamations are crucial. After all, Canadians generally do not carry the Food Guide with them to restaurants or stores. Some will say that they do not want the government to tell them what to eat. The purpose of these policies is not to prescribe what Canadians eat but to enable informed choices leading to better health.
In addition to being used by individuals, the guide forms the foundation of nutrition programs in schools. military bases, prisons, daycares, hospitals and old people's homes. It is one of the most powerful political and educational tools for influencing diets and impacting our individual and collective health.
Similarly, the requirements for food packaging are important and influence food choices. Unfortunately, as confirmed by a study I conducted last year with colleagues, what is said now about packaging often does not give a complete picture of the consumer.
For example, many consumers do not see the added sugar on the front of a package. think that means that the product does not have sugar. But our study found that while more than a third of fruit drinks contained the claim "No added sugar," 99% of them contained an excess of free sugar. Free sugars are those added to foods or naturally present in syrup, honey and fruit juice. They are different from the sugars found in whole foods such as fruits and vegetables.
In addition, we found that 85 per cent of the products declaring "reduced in sugar" still contained an excess of sugar. Most low-fat or "no added" food products did not contain reduced calories, which shows that most consumers expect to find such claims in foods.
It's not for nothing that the food industry invests heavily in packaging. The information required by the government – such as the Nutrition Facts table, what it understands and where it needs to be placed – directly affects what we buy and what we eat.
Current proposals for clear labeling of fat, salt or sugar would make it easier for Canadians to make informed choices. The long-term impact of these policies is what makes the process used by Ottawa for these important changes so vital.
A group of 26 of the world's leading nutrition experts recently sent a letter to Health Canada highlighting that science is clear. Excessive consumption of foods and beverages high in energy, added sugar, sodium and saturated fats has a negative impact on health. This knowledgeable group says that front-of-package warning labels are a good way to reduce the consumption of unhealthy products, most of which are processed foods.
Food manufacturers can not afford to compromise their work. In 1965, millions of people in Canada live with diet-related illnesses, which represents a cost of $ 26 billion a year and 47,000 deaths in 2016. Nearly one in three children suffers from high blood pressure. overweight or obesity.
Critics of the proposed policies use scare tactics claiming that the goal of the changes is to force Canadian food choices and harm Canadian agriculture. The goal, of course, is to inform the choices, not to restrict them. Agriculture plays a crucial role in providing the many nutritious foods we all need. It will never change.
What needs to change is our steady march as a society towards obesity and diet – related illness. The new Canadian Strategy for Healthy Eating is a turning point that Canada badly needs to get out of
Mary The Abbot is President of the Department of Nutritional Sciences of the University of Toronto. She is also a consultant to the World Health Organization and an expert advisor to EvidenceNetwork.ca
Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected]. The publisher of the editorial pages is Gordon Clark, who can be contacted at [email protected]
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