The policy, which has been in place for more than five years, will clearly identify products with so-called “public health concern nutrients” that have been linked to conditions such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. “These regulations are designed to make it easier for us to make informed, healthier choices,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a news conference Thursday morning. Health Canada said the new labels will complement, rather than replace, the more detailed nutritional information usually found on the back of food packaging. They will generally be placed in prepackaged foods that contain more than 15 percent of the recommended daily allowance of saturated fats, sugars, or sodium. For prepacked meals, warnings will only apply to products with more than 30 percent of the recommended daily allowance, and for foods sold in increments of less than 30 grams, labels will only apply if they contain more than 10 percent of the daily recommendation. . The proposed labels came to the forefront of the controversy earlier this month when a group of breeders opposed the government’s plan to include warnings about minced meat. At the time, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association said the policy would “insult” the minced meat and make people think it was a less healthy choice than whole pieces. Now, Health Canada has excluded one-ingredient minced meat from warning labels, even if it is high in fat. The product was considered to have health benefits despite the “nutrients”, along with milk, many cheeses and fruits. “Canadian families rely on minced meat as a nutritious and affordable staple and an important factor in food security. “We are pleased with Health Canada’s decision to waive ground beef from requiring a misleading warning label,” said Canadian Cattlemen’s Association President Reg Schellenberg in a written statement. Sugar and salt packages will also be excluded, as the government said adding labels to such products would be unnecessary. The plan to place warnings on the front of food packaging was first introduced as part of Health Canada’s “healthy eating strategy” in 2016, and consultations continued in 2018. But Duclos said the government is giving companies until 2026 to implement the change to help them manage the cost of packaging repairs and possibly reshape food so that they are not subject to labels at all. He said that was one of the goals of the program, which was achieved in Chile when the country ordered similar labels on the front of the package. One year after implementation, Health Canada said, the percentage of products in Chile that are required to bear the symbols has dropped significantly, suggesting that companies have changed their recipes to reduce sugar, fat and salt. The regulation has seals of approval from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Diabetes Canada. Mary L’Abbe, a professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Toronto and a public health nutrition expert, said she was also pleased with the policy. He said that a buyer who chooses between two spaghetti sauces will now be able to quickly know if one is much healthier than the other and make a choice accordingly. “We know that most consumers at the grocery store do not spend time delivering packages to compare one nutritional chart with another, so it will really help them make those comparisons,” he said. L’Abbe said research shows that after adding these warnings, people are more likely to choose foods lower in sugar, salt and fat. Although it is too early to say whether it makes a difference in the levels of diet-related health conditions, he said, modeling suggests that it will happen if people continue to make these choices. “Some products, people will always consume, even if they have warning labels,” L’Abbe said, citing the example of processed meat, which is a convenient and inexpensive option for many. “I do not think people will change all their eating habits, but I think many of the categories where food will be labeled on the front of the package, it will be easy to identify what does it (has a warning label) and what they do not. And this is the kind of change that has been observed in other countries. “ This Canadian Press report was first published on June 30, 2022.
