The Canadian government last week unveiled several initiatives aimed at giving people more information for making healthy food choices, including proposed changes to nutritional labelling regulations. 

The proposed labelling changes ares designed to make it easier for Canadians to read labels and the Nutrition Facts table, a release from the government said.

"Mandating consistent serving sizes will make it easier to compare nutrient contents of similar foods, and make more informed choices when selecting foods for themselves and their families," it said.

"The ingredient list on the proposed new label would also be easier to read."

The labelling changes are said to respond to comments made by parents, consumers and health organizations and the food industry in earlier consultations held throughout 2014.

The Government of Canada said it is also breaking new ground in the labelling of sugars on foods. It said proposed changes would give Canadians 'clear information' about the sugars contained in the foods they eat.

"The proposed addition of a percentage daily value for sugar and changes to the way sugars are identified in the list of ingredients will make it easier to understand how much sugar is in a product, whether there is a little or a lot of sugar, and what the source of sugar is," the release said.

Health Minister Rona Ambrose also announced new public education tools, including a My Food Guide mobile application and the Eat Well Plate, to help Canadians apply the dietary guidance of Canada’s Food Guide to build a healthy meal.

The Eat Well Plate is aimed at helping people visualize food proportions encouraging them to make half their plate vegetables and fruit.

This aligns well with the Half Your Plate program launched by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), The Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Public Health Association in January 2015.

“We are thrilled that Health Canada has shown leadership on this issue,” CPMA president Ron Lemaire said.

“When we began researching this campaign, Canadians were unanimous in stating that serving sizes could be confusing and that the suggestion to fill half of their plate with vegetables and fruit at every meal and snack was clear and simple to understand and follow.

"This also translates well to the grocery store, where we suggest that half of their cart be filled with vegetables and fruit so that they have healthier options to choose from at home."

Canadians will be consulted on the proposed regulatory changes to the nutrition information on food labels for a 75-day comment period, ending on August 26.

“Our Government is breaking new ground with our proposal on the labelling of sugars on foods sold in Canada," Minister Ambrose said.

"Nowhere else in the world will consumers have the kind of information Canadians will have about the sugars contained in the foods they eat. This information will help them understand how much sugar is in a product, whether it’s a little or a lot of sugar, and where the sugar comes from.”

“Parents told us they have difficulty comparing similar food products because the serving sizes displayed on labels were inconsistent and did not reflect the amount of food they typically eat. For this reason, our Government is mandating the standardization of serving sizes so Canadians can more easily compare products and make better decisions about healthy foods.”

The Heart and Stroke Foundation also welcomed the proposed revisions to nutrition labelling, in particular mandatory standardized serving sizes for similar products and more complete information about sugars in the ingredients list.

"We believe these to be steps in the right direction towards providing Canadians with better information to make healthy food choices,” vice president of Research and Knowledge Exchange Mary Lewis said.

Photo: www.shutterstok.com

www.freshfruitportal.com