Canadian Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) postcard
Food Labeling in Canada
Petitions (Deadline September 14th)
Dear Mr. Burke,
I applaud Heath Canada for its new food-labelling proposal, but Health Canada could and should better protect consumers by:
Dear Mr. Burke,
I would like to commend Heath Canada for its new food-labelling proposal, requiring packaged food to carry clear, easy-to-read, standardized nutritional labels. These new labeling laws will benefit all Canadians by helping us make informed daily food choices. However, despite the comprehensiveness of the proposal, there is room for some improvement and I urge Health Canada to consider the following amendments:
Require labeling
for fresh meat, poultry, fish and seafood:
Fresh meats still
play a large role in the diet of Canadians and are traditionally high in
saturated fat and low in fibre. Exempting these products from nutritional
labeling would not be in the interest of public health, while proper labeling
of meat products will help consumers compare the nutritional value of meats
to alternatives, or choose healthier cuts or meat that are lower in fat.
Require that the
amount of folic acid be reported on labels:
Folic acid is a nutrient
where deficiency has been strongly linked to neural tube birth defects
and high blood pressure. Disclosure of this important nutrient will
help women of child-bearing age to choose foods high in folic acid, thereby
reducing the risk of this birth defect. It will also help Canadians
select heart-healthy foods as part of their balanced diet.
Do not exempt in-store
baked goods:
Many in-store baked
goods are high in calories, high in trans and saturated fat, and low in
fibre and other nutrients. They are not very different nutritionally
from non-exempt products that have been baked off-site and packaged.
Tighten rules for
making health claims:
Products that may
prevent one disease but promote another should not be allowed to make health
claims. This is misleading to the public. Only foods that are
low in total, saturated and trans fat; cholesterol; sodium and added sugars
should be eligible. In addition, products should be required to give
a minimum value per serving (i.e., one serving of product is equivalent
to one serving of fruit), based on a serving size that is commonly used
by Canadians.
Thank you for taking the time to consider to my concerns, and I urge Health Canada to continue to move forward with its food labeling reforms.
Sincerely,
{Signature}
{Name}
{Address}
Mr Ronald Burke, Director
Re: Nutritional Labelling, Nutrition Claims, and Health Claims
Bureau of Food Regulatory, Internation and Intragency Affairs
Health Canada
Room 2395, Address Locator 0702C1
Health Protection Building, Tunney’s Pasture
Ottawa ON K1A 0L2
Amanda's Kitchen is devoted to introducing healthy
vegetarian and vegan cooking to everyone's kitchen.Disclaimer: This newsletter and the Amanda's Kitchen web site are not prepared by a registered dietician, nurse, doctor or other medically-qualified individual. Any health and nutrition information provided by Amanda's Kitchen is designed to support, not replace, information provided by a registered dietician or healthcare provider. Where appropriate, Amanda's Kitchen has endeavoured to support information contained on the site and newsletter by providing references to source data and, where possible, specific HTML links.Page last updated: September 3rd, 2001