Canada's Food Guide: Proposed Revisions (for my fellow Canucks in the crowd...)

[chromedome]

I'm posting it here on the grounds that national Food Guides are, by their nature, intended to be used as references. 

 

Many of you will have read today's news stories about the proposed changes to Canada's food guidelines. All of the stories I read mentioned that Health Canada was soliciting input from the general public, as well as health/food industry professionals. None of them, alas, actually gave a link to the "consultation" page at Health Canada's website. For those who wish to weigh in, here it is:

 

http://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/foodguide-guidealimentaire/index-eng.php

[Okanagancook]

Duplicate post:  Ha, ha, great minds think alike!

[Okanagancook]

Well, I will kick off a few ideas.

 

Tax high sugar foods/drinks, high saturated fat foods and high sodium foods.  Use this tax money to fund Nutritional Professionals who would be available to the public in large grocery stores at high traffic times/specified times and to fund consultation stations in shopping malls where people could stop in and ask their questions.  

 

Ban transfats  as the Harper Government was going to do but buckled under pressure from industry.  If we don't ban them then we could become a dumping ground for transfat containing foods from other countries that have banned these foods.

 

The labelling system has to become much simpler.  Symbols are the way to go so people can see quickly which is better.  Standardized serving sizes would also help.  Probably some kind of monitoring of the accuracy of manufacturers' nutrient content claims including fast foods.

[Anna N]

 As a Canadian I thought about jumping in here and then decided it's such a minefield that I'll watch from the sidelines. 

[chromedome]

I'd actually intended the thread primarily as a PSA...it hadn't occurred to me to think of it as a discussion starter. That said, if anyone else wants to air their thoughts here before taking 'em to Health Canada, by all means bring it on. 

 

FWIW, @Okanagancook, both Superstore and Sobey's here (Saint John, NB) already have RDs on staff and available for customer inquiries/education sessions. Presumably they do elsewhere in the country, as well. 

 

[Okanagancook]

4 hours ago, chromedome said:

I'd actually intended the thread primarily as a PSA...it hadn't occurred to me to think of it as a discussion starter. That said, if anyone else wants to air their thoughts here before taking 'em to Health Canada, by all means bring it on. 

 

FWIW, @Okanagancook, both Superstore and Sobey's here (Saint John, NB) already have RDs on staff and available for customer inquiries/education sessions. Presumably they do elsewhere in the country, as well. 

 

Yes, there are some RD's available but I think we need more and need them to be more interactive on an informal basis in every large store.