Health committee  Very quickly, we are at a point where we've gone through an extensive consultation. You've had opinions tabled stating that people didn't feel it was the type of consultation that was needed. At the same time, you need to appreciate many people have had input into this, very well placed, who have had lots to say to us.

Health committee  Let me start with the last one. No, there aren't, but it's a very interesting suggestion. The first question was about why we are revising the food guide. In fact, we didn't enter into that lightly. We actually did a very comprehensive review of the 1992 food guide to assess, one, whether it was still solid in terms of the new dietary reference intake material; and two, whether it was a food guide that was performing to the degree that people understood what its messages were.

Health committee  I think it's a good question. I would answer no, we don't have rigorous evidence that the food guide is the vehicle to change behaviour broadly. I don't think there is good evidence that a piece of paper really does that. We know behaviour change is more to ask of one piece of paper than is possible.

Health committee  No, there is not.

Health committee  Why do we do the food guide? I think the food guide is absolutely an essential undertaking, because more than anything else, people want to know what healthy eating means. We all talk about healthy eating. Oh, it's important for chronic disease prevention, it's important for healthy growth and development, it's important for health, but what does that mean?

Health committee  I saw that comment.

Health committee  I hear the comment, and I would say to you two things. First, the online consultation did look at packaging as well as content. Was there a specific question that asked whether you think the age- and sex-specific guidance we're giving is the way to go? We didn't ask that. Did we ask whether you think the number of fruits and vegetables that are part of the pattern for the age and sex groups from six to nine are appropriate?

Health committee  I think your question is very good, in that the cost associated with the basket for healthy eating is a very significant issue. We're very concerned. This isn't specific to the food guide; this is specific to Canadians' food security and where the population is with respect to adequate resources to buy a nutritious basket of food.

Health committee  I'll start, and I'll ask Janet Pronk to continue. We actually have those lists. Those lists were requested. We actually generated those lists. They're part of what's gone to the department to come to this committee, and they are en route. Specifically, you asked how the nature of the consultations influenced where it is that this food guide is going.

Health committee  Thank you very much, and let me thank you for the kind invitation to be here. We've been following the deliberations of this committee with great interest. It's truly a privilege to be invited back and to be able to share with you some of the issues around process and evidence in developing a food guide.

Health committee  Late this year or early next. I say it that way because it will come out in 2006 or probably January 2007.

Health committee  Just at the time that there was a national plan of action called Nutrition for Health: An Agenda for Action in which key things were identified to try to improve the nutritional health of Canadians, one of which was to teach food preparation skills--kids today don't even know how to cook--what did we do across the country?

Health committee  I would make one more comment. As we're evolving the food guide, we're trying to put together a pattern of eating that has a conservative level of energy for each age and sex group. In order to eat and stay within that energy level, you're eating very basic foods. We're urging people to make sure they're making choices with little or no added fat, sugar, energy.

Health committee  I'll start and then pass to Janet, because that is a very important issue. The reality is you can stop by on your way home and slug back a frappuccino, a cappuccino, and have as many calories as you would have if you sat down to, say, a plateful of vegetables, fish--a dinner. People need to reacquaint themselves with the energy content of food, absolutely.

Health committee  I'm absolutely dying, because I really think it would be a huge error to do one over the other. I'd urge you to go to the Annapolis Valley example, because in fact they had both a food nutrition policy, a comprehensive school health initiative, and rigorous evaluation. Those schools that were participating in this comprehensive health program were less than half as likely to have children who were overweight and obese; the students ate more fruits and vegetables and had a higher overall diet quality than students without the program, and it was the comprehensive health nature of the program.