Thank you, Madam Chair.
At the Dairy Farmers of Canada, we recognize the public health importance of reducing Canadian sodium intakes and appreciate the opportunity to address the committee this morning on this important subject.
We are the national organization representing Canadian dairy farmers who produce the basic ingredient that is used in the manufacturing of dairy products. The nutrition and health aspects of dairy products are of great importance to us. This is why we have made it a priority to follow this policy development along with others being led by Health Canada.
Moreover, as an interested organization committed to nutrition research and the promotion of healthy eating and living, we have provided comments to Health Canada on their proposed sodium reduction targets and have shared our research with them. We have collaborated and continue to collaborate with dairy processors, in particular cheese manufacturers, as we all assess the proposed Health Canada sodium reduction targets.
The nutrition department at DFC is staffed by some 20 registered dieticians like me, whose goal is to increase awareness of the nutritional values and health benefits associated with milk products as part of a healthy, balanced diet, and to encourage Canadians to consume the number of servings of milk products recommended by Health Canada.
The findings of the Canadian community health survey published in 2006 indicate that a large proportion of Canadians in all age groups is not meeting the minimum recommended servings of milk products. Therefore, if reducing sodium in cheese affects consumers' acceptance of cheese and leads to a reduction in cheese intake, the result will be a worsening of the problem of under-consumption of milk products, with negative consequences for the overall nutrient intakes of Canadians, especially calcium.
It is important to mention that while sodium is a natural constituent of milk and other dairy products, salt or sodium chloride is also added during the cheese-making process to serve many functional properties, such as enzymatic and microbial control, humidity control, and taste and texture; but it's also an essential ingredient to ensure food safety. After consulting researchers specialized in food science and the microbiology of cheese-making, we came to the conclusion that there is currently a lack of knowledge on whether the proposed targets for cheese are achievable and whether they present food safety issues.
In order to provide those scientific data to address the issue of levels of sodium in cheese, we are funding research that deals with the technical and food safety issues associated with salt reduction. Since May 2008, the dairy industry has been supporting research by the Université Laval on the impact of variation in salt in cheddar cheese on organoleptic properties and microbial growth.
In addition, with the help of newly attained funds from the agri-science clusters initiative, we will also jointly finance with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada a major two-year study starting this year looking into reducing salt in different types of cheese while maintaining product quality and ensuring food safety.
These two studies represent an investment of $750,000 toward the advancement of science in this area. The first study will be completed in April of next year, while the second one will be completed in early 2012. Once the results of these studies are available, the dairy industry will be in a better position to access the level of sodium reduction that is both achievable and safe for different types of cheese.
We are committed to offering nutritious dairy products that meet the highest standards of quality and safety, as well as the demands of consumers. We strongly believe that these high standards must be maintained in any effort to reduce sodium. To ensure that salt reduction in cheese is accomplished while maintaining product quality and without putting the population at risk of food contamination, we have asked Health Canada to provide the dairy industry the proper time needed to conduct the necessary research before establishing targets for cheese, and timelines for reaching these targets.
We believe that special rules should be established for products like cheese, where salt is required for important aspects like preservation and aging. Otherwise, the process needs to account for target revisions and/or re-adjustments if the set targets prove to be unachievable or unsafe. We will be happy to provide the committee with our feedback to Health Canada on these targets.
For technical and food safety aspects related to reducing salt content in cheese, we have turned to the scientific expertise of Dr. Paul Paquin and Dr. Steve Labrie from Université Laval, who have provided a written scientific opinion based on their longstanding expertise in food science and microbiology related to cheese-making. We provided their document, along with our DFC response, to Health Canada. We would be happy to provide the committee with that document as well.
Again, thank you for this opportunity to share with the committee the undertakings that Dairy Farmers of Canada is taking on this important health subject. Thank you.