Canada’s federal government on Wednesday announced an overhaul of nutrition labels on packaged goods aimed at making healthy food choices easier.
Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott said amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations will affect the list of ingredients and nutrition facts on the information boxes on the back of food products.
Philpott said she wants the food industry to reduce sodium, eliminate industrially produced trans fats, provide more information about sugars and food colours and introduce restrictions on the commercial marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children.
Sugar-based ingredients such glucose-fructose, honey, malted barley and fancy molasses will be grouped under the name “sugars” in the list of ingredients.
Philpott also announced that the new labels will use the per cent daily value of servings.
The five-year time frame for the changes and the failure of Health Canada to insist on showing the amount of added sugars to products has left some nutrition experts less than overjoyed.
One of them is David Hammond, an associate professor with the School of Public Health and Health Systems at Waterloo University.
He joined me by phone from Waterloo.
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