A worker replenishes products in the meat section at a Atlantic Superstore grocery store in Halifax on January 28th. Kelly Clark / The Canadian Press
Healthcare organizations are calling on Ottawa to move forward with the proposed food warning labels, expressing concern that further debate on ground meat could delay a long-awaited critical program.
Since 2016, Health Canada has been committed to launching a program that requires packaged foods rich in sugar, salt or saturated fats to display a warning label. The government plans to publish its plan in the coming weeks.
But as this timeline approaches, the meat industry’s concern that some ground meat requires a “high-saturated fat” label has gained momentum. Over the past week, representatives of the meat industry, the Alberta provincial government and Conservative federal MPs have publicly called for an exemption for ground meat and urged Ottawa to pause the process.
But according to health groups, including those who support a ground meat exemption, any delay would be a mistake.
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“It’s been seven years of discussion,” said Manuel Arango, director of health policy and advocacy for the Stroke Foundation.
He has been involved with Health Canada throughout the process, attending numerous meetings and consultations with the food industry; seeing how the government promised the labeling program in two election campaigns and four letters of mandate from the health minister.
“The amount of discussions and inquiries that have been made on this issue is almost unmatched,” he said. “So we are wary of people asking for more time for consultations and discussions, because it is a delay tactic.”
A spokesman for Diabetes Canada also called for a “rapid entry into force” of the program.
“We encourage the federal government to consider exemptions when the evidence supports them,” said Ann Besner, senior director of Diabetes Canada, “but that it does not take long to implement this critical set of regulations that will help move the needle.” on the risk of disease in this country ”.
Mrs. Besner said the labels will not only help consumers make better decisions, but will also drive food manufacturers to reshape their products into healthier ones.
In a statement, Health Canada did not specifically address concerns about possible delays. Instead, the department noted that the program is “widely recognized by health care organizations as an effective tool to help offset rising rates of chronic diet-related illnesses in Canada.”
The statement also emphasizes that exemptions are only provided in specific circumstances.
About a quarter of Canadian adults are currently classified as obese. And the cost of diet-related diseases for our health care system is $ 26 billion every year. He is also guilty of 36,000 deaths a year.
The government’s proposed labeling, first introduced in 2016, was designed to help address this health crisis. The current table of “nutritional data” on food products has long been criticized as poorly designed, inconsistent and confusing.
New labels would be needed for any food high in sugar, salt or saturated fat – any pre-packaged food product with more than 15 percent of the recommended daily intake.
In Chile, where similar labels are already used, the program has led to a 25% decrease in the purchase of sugary drinks. About 37 percent of Chileans say the labels have helped them choose better foods.
However, since the announcement of the proposal in Canada, government officials have come under heavy pressure from the food industry.
The government has already said it intends to allow exemptions for many products, including some dairy and whole meat, specifically, single-ingredient raw meat. But ground meat, which is considered “minimally processed,” was not included in the exemptions.
A spokesman for Dietistians of Canada said the organization does not have a position on ground meat. But Erin MacGregor, a registered dietitian, said an exemption would make sense: putting a warning label on ground meat would be an “oversimplification.”
“Ground meats are a nutrient-dense choice, with strict labeling requirements already in place in terms of fat content,” he said, referring to existing “medium”, “lean” and “extra lean” labels. “.
“If part of the mandate of front-label packaging is to help Canadians curb their dependence on ultra-processed foods, it doesn’t make much sense to warn consumers about foods that will help them do so,” he said. .
In both Chile and Mexico (which also has a similar labeling program), ground meat is exempt.
Mr. Arango, of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, echoed the feelings of Ms. MacGregor.
“It’s not the whole thing, minimally processed, what I would call‘ real food, ’” that’s the problem, Mr. Arango. “It’s ultra-processed food.”
That’s why, he said, it’s essential to put labels on without delay.
“We have to end this, because people need to be informed about what’s in their food. It’s [currently] very difficult for many people: people with low literacy levels, low vision, the elderly, newcomers, “he said.
“What is at stake is the health of Canadians.”
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