Evidence of meeting #14 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was products.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:40 a.m.
Vice-President, Federal, Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
While I'm not a spokesperson for the sodium working group, nor can I speak on behalf of Health Canada, it is my understanding that there will be a report issued shortly. We will have that report out in the public domain. It could be a great document for us to centre some communications on.
10:40 a.m.
Chief of the Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, University of Ottawa Heart Institute
It would be a wonderful opportunity to talk about comprehensive health promotion--healthy public policy--which involves, very often, more than just voluntary approaches, in general, to health policy.
When I say comprehensive, I'm not talking about being overriding and authoritarian and so on. I'm talking about using the best offices of government to ensure that those responsible members of the corporate community in the food sector are rewarded for their leadership, because many of them are showing distinct leadership in this area. Unfortunately, their ability to express that leadership is not being enhanced, because there won't be a level playing field, the kind of level playing field that can only occur, I would argue, with some sensitive and strategically developed public policy in this area.
10:45 a.m.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
With respect to comprehensiveness, Ms. L'Abbé, from the perspective of the working group, has the working group been working with other branches or agencies or aspects of Health Canada? We had testimony previously that, yes, salt is very important, but we also need to consider things like obesity. Is there an attempt by the working group to try to have that comprehensive reach by working through other agencies?
10:45 a.m.
Earle W. McHenry Professor, Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
The approach very early on was to have the working group be quite comprehensive in its makeup. We are fortunate that we have advice and input from groups like the Heart and Stroke Foundation but also from many other areas of government. The Public Health Agency participates. We have representatives from provincial governments and representatives of the chief medical officers of health in the provinces. They bring that knowledge and those linkages with all those activities and actions that are going on so that we do have a sense of the best--
10:45 a.m.
NDP
10:45 a.m.
Earle W. McHenry Professor, Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
We aren't specifically, in the sense that we won't be able to address things like obesity through this.
10:45 a.m.
Earle W. McHenry Professor, Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Obviously, we don't want our actions to jeopardize or be in conflict with other activities. We're sensitive to it, but we are not specifically addressing our recommendations to address those other health questions.
10:45 a.m.
NDP
Megan Leslie NDP Halifax, NS
Will you be distributing your recommendations to other branches of Health Canada?
10:45 a.m.
Earle W. McHenry Professor, Chair, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
Absolutely. Health Canada, being the provider of the secretariat, has been a tremendous resource to the members of the working group. When we've needed information, they have, on our behalf, started developing targets and analyzing the food supply for us. Absolutely, they have been fully engaged in this process.
10:45 a.m.
NDP
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
I am so sorry. I've given you extra time just because it's your first day.
We'll now go to Ms. McLeod.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to pick up on one comment that Ms. Savoie made, and that was you talked about doing some work with cheddar cheese—
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
—because that's the major consumer product. Do you see through that work that you would actually perhaps have agreement of all the cheddar cheese makers to jointly work towards a reduction in sodium?
10:45 a.m.
Assistant Director, Nutrition, National Programs, Dairy Farmers of Canada
The research that we are funding is jointly funded. It's dairy industry funding to get the knowledge, and after that, it's up to the cheese makers to use that knowledge to develop the cheese that will have a lower sodium content. They are more the facilitators. As the nutrition arm of the dairy industry, we're strong supporters of this research.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
So you would be perhaps encouraging the different producers?
10:45 a.m.
Assistant Director, Nutrition, National Programs, Dairy Farmers of Canada
We would make this research truly available. We work very closely on knowledge transfer with dairy processors. We have common committees where we can discuss these issues. We would make sure the knowledge is available to cheese makers.
10:45 a.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
Thank you.
I think my next question is for Mr. Samis.
I was talking earlier about that panel. Of course, if you are really going to be diligent about that panel in terms of everything you and your family are consuming, it's not easy. I think it takes a really motivated consumer to do that.
I look at your little check symbol. That's certainly an easy mechanism. When you are giving the Health Check, are you looking at many different components? Could you talk briefly about what creates something that justifies a Health Check? What are the different components?
10:45 a.m.
Director, Health Policy, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
Sure, thank you.
I would agree with you that the nutrition facts panel is confusing. The federal government could do something immediately to help Canadians make healthier choices at point of purchase with respect to the facts panel, and that is to standardize the portion size on the nutrition facts panel, which is something we suggested in our earlier remarks.
It's confusing now. It's not standardized, and we need to make that easier for Canadians. When they're picking up two products that look similar, they should be able to have the same portion size on them. That's something we would say the government can do.
The Health Check symbol is put on a variety of products based on a variety of criteria that are contingent on whatever that product is. It contains both healthful and the more unhealthful elements of the product. One element might look at sodium and fibre and fat, another one might look at sugar and sodium, so it really depends. Some of the ingredients would vary.
Breadstuffs, for example, would have sodium levels. They would also have a certain amount of fibre requirements, etc. The criteria are pretty complex, and there are about 80 different categories of the criteria, based on the food and based on what makes sense. You wouldn't necessarily have fibre in something that doesn't make sense, but you certainly would in some of the breads, etc.
The criteria are clearly stated. They change over time and they change as the food guide changes. We brought in sugar criteria when the food guide said to avoid added sugar, in the absence of any kind of federal advice around sugar. So they're changing constantly, and we have to make those clear to the companies so that over time they have to adapt their products to meet the changing nature of the program.
That's one of the real benefits of having a program like the Health Check. As we've been migrating the sodium targets down over time, for example, the companies are given, generally speaking, about 14 months to reformulate their products to meet those targets. We've made some pretty significant changes to the sodium levels recently. Some of the companies have dropped out. They haven't been able to meet the targets. Others have reformulated to meet those targets.
One of the things we find very interesting is that a number of companies, as they're considering bringing products to the market, are meeting with us now to find out what those targets are, so they can formulate the product in such a way that it meets the target and they can get into the program.
So it does have an influence, certainly, on the healthfulness of the food supply.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
Cathy McLeod Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC
What percentage of companies that produce and put things on the shelves partner with you in terms of these discussions?
May 4th, 2010 / 10:50 a.m.
Director, Health Policy, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
As a voluntary program it's pretty small. We have about 2,200 products in the program now, and probably about 200 companies. Generally speaking, there are about 30,000 items in a grocery store; not all of them are foodstuffs. But I would say we probably have about 10% of the food products in a grocery store in the Health Check program at this time.
10:50 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joy Smith
Thank you, Mr. Samis.
We'll now go very quickly. We have just a couple of minutes.
Ms. Murray, you had a quick question.