Canada fights poor diet with sugar, salt and saturated fat labels

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Ottawa — In Canada, to put a clear label Food packaging will be required to indicate a high content of sugar, sodium and saturated fat, which will help consumers adjust their diet and prevent associated health risks.

The Ministry of Health has released a label indicating that since 2026, the food industry has "high" any of the three nutrients above a certain threshold. Said that it needs to be stamped on.

If it takes more than three years to prepare for the change, the manufacturer should be able to change the wrapper, run out of existing inventory, or represcribe the product, a department known as Health Canada said. I am saying.

Canadians said they consumed more sugar, sodium, and saturated fat than recommended, adding that the label on the front of the package should provide information to assess risk. rice field. The label is not intended to classify food as healthy or unhealthy.

Diet-related chronic illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Canada. As the department calls them, the high consumption of the three "nutrients of interest" is closely associated with the risk of such illness.

Due to its health value, the policy does not apply to certain foods such as plain milk or whole eggs. It also excludes raw fish and meat, whether whole chopped or ground.

The minced meat exemption will come as a relief to the Canadian meat industry that has raised concerns about previous proposals to require such labeling of minced meat.

Poor diets and their health consequences have resulted in personal, social and economic costs, investors said at the Tokyo Nutrition Summit in December. They called on governments and businesses to step up promotion of healthier foods and drinks.

The financial burden of chronic illnesses associated with Canada's diet and other modifiable risk factors is $ 28.2 billion ($ 21.9 billion) annually, according to the sector.

Ottawa recently proposed printing a written health warning on individual cigarettes. If Canada implements this measure, it will be the first country to implement it.

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