Health Committee on Feb. 1st, 2011

[Kim Elmslie]

I'm not aware of the answer to that question. I'd have to look at that; I don't know.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Is there any funding for breakfast programs? And how does that compare with what the United States has?

[Kim Elmslie]

I'm not aware that there is funding specifically for breakfast programs.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I don't think there's any funding in this country for breakfast programs, but I would ask that you table that and with a comparison with the United States.

If you decide to go this way, what would you see as the fundamental steps to creating a national breakfast program? I will come back to the point that we are one of the only industrialized countries without one.

[Kim Elmslie]

I'd go back to the fact that at this point our work is with our provincial and territorial colleagues to look at the broader policy question of nutritious food. So in the context of providing nutritious food, we are in the process now of working with experts to lay out what things need to be done.

The issue of a national breakfast program specifically has not come on the table in those discussions to date.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

You have about 40 seconds.

[Dr. Hasan Hutchinson]

Of course there is the aboriginal head start program, which is particular to first nations and Inuit health, and that is administered by a different part of Health Canada. It's not my area of responsibility, nor Dr. Godefroy's.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

In Toronto alone one out of four is going to school hungry. It's a national problem, and it's in every city.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

I'm sorry, the time is up. My apologies.

Now we'll go to Monsieur Malo.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I am glad you are all here today.

Good afternoon and welcome. Dr. Godefroy, if I may, I will direct my first question to you, as it picks up on a discussion we had with you back in May regarding trans fat. You said that the amount of trans fat being consumed still exceeded the amount recommended by the WHO and that the voluntary approach endorsed by government and industry had failed in a number of ways. So I would just like an update on where things stand now and what will be done to really and truly ensure that the foods consumers are eating do not contain excessive amounts of trans fat.

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I will try to give you an update on what was presented in May 2010.

First, I would like to make one thing clear. I would not say that the program to reduce trans fat failed. In fact, the monitoring program has proven to be very successful in reducing Canadians' daily dietary intake of trans fat. Canada had the highest trans fat intake of any country in the world. Our dietary intake of trans fat used to be 5 grams per day. Right now, we are at about 3.4 grams per day, which represents about 1.4% of energy intake. It is important to look at where we started.

The program requiring mandatory nutrition labelling on all prepackaged foods has prompted companies to reformulate their products. As a result of this program, more than 80% of the food products monitored by Health Canada now contain acceptable levels of trans fat from a health standpoint. So the program has been successful.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

It was not a total success.

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

You are right.

As a regulatory agency, indeed a public health agency, our goal is not to be happy with what we have accomplished and call it a day. We know we need to do more. We need to consider every possible way of doing more. And that involves a number of steps. We need to begin by consolidating successful initiatives for prepackaged foods, and making sure that no ground has been lost and that solutions are available to food processors. They need oilseed plants and oils that can replace trans fats.

We also need to do more when it comes to the food service sector. That is one of the findings that has emerged from the monitoring program. The food service sector has not been as successful in this area, and we are in the process of examining why that is. One of the reasons that is coming to light is, once again, the content in oilseed plants. We need to look at trans fat replacement solutions.

We are already seeing positive results in this sector. Some solid progress is being made, but it is not consistent across the board. As we speak, the department is completing its analysis of the monitoring program results. We are at the risk analysis phase, and scientific peer reviewers are in the process of validating the information. We will then look at all the necessary options that will enable us to further reduce every Canadian's trans fat intake.

[Luc Malo, Bloc, Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC]

The three of you talked about nutrition facts and different aspects of nutrition labelling. But, from what I understood, we need to make the information that is there more visible or more broadly available.

Ms. Elmslie, you even said the information needed to be consistent. I would like to hear your thoughts on what I see as lingering inconsistencies in terms of nutrition facts. How can the nutrition facts for two comparable products show different portions? Consumers have a very tough time comparing two products in a grocery store because each one lists a different portion and therefore different quantities. And I would also like to hear your thoughts on the fact that the portion is quite often smaller than what an individual would normally consume. That makes things even more difficult for consumers.

I would just like to know whether these kinds of changes to the nutrition facts are necessary, in your opinion.

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

I can try to answer that, Madam Chair. Thank you.

You raise a very important point. I would like to give you some background on nutrition labelling, if I may.

It did not come into full effect until 2007. Canada was the first country in the world to make nutrition labelling mandatory. You mentioned an extremely important issue, portion size. It is actually not mandatory to indicate a given portion on the label. When these regulations were being developed, Health Canada suggested standard portions for a certain number of prepackaged products. Those portions appear in one of the schedules of the Regulations Respecting Food and Drugs. So there are guidelines provided to help food processors determine portion size and, specifically, create corresponding nutrition labels.

We are starting to see disparities in the use of these portions on a number of levels. In some cases, it has to do with product diversity. In other cases, the disparity, as you said, is due to the fact that the portion does not represent the quantity likely to be consumed by the average Canadian, if I can use that term.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you, Mr. Godefroy.

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

But we are working on it. That is one of the elements we are trying to improve.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you very much. I think we could talk all day about portions, couldn't we? Yes.

We'll now go to Ms. Leslie and Ms. Hughes, who I understand are going to share their time. Would you like to begin, Ms. Leslie?

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thanks, Madam Chair. With the indulgence or with the permission of the committee, I would like to share my time.

I just have a couple of quick questions. Thank you all for being here. It's nice to see some of you again and some of you for the first time.

Concerning labelling but a different aspect of labelling, in 2008 we heard that the government was working on regulations about allergen labelling, in particular when it comes to anaphylaxis or people with celiac. We heard recently that those labels won't be ready for the 2011 date that they were predicted to be ready. I'm wondering if you can give us an update on where those labels are—not the labels, the regulations.

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

Indeed, enhanced allergen labelling requirements continue to be a priority for the Government of Canada and for Health Canada specifically. This is an initiative that was announced as part of the food and consumer safety action plan in 2007.

The regulations were published in the Canada Gazette part I in July 2008. A very thorough consultation process followed that publication. There is a commitment to complete these allergen labelling regulations throughout the course of the year of 2011, and essentially address those issues related to areas where allergenic ingredients, gluten sources, and sulphites are not necessarily well labelled on a number of pre-packaged foods.

The commitment is there, and the department--

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Is there an idea of timelines?

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

Again, regulatory processes are complex processes. In this particular case, it's a Governor in Council process, so it's a Government of Canada initiative. I cannot commit on behalf of the department with regard to timelines, but the commitment is there.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thanks for that update.

The other update—and if it's not your department, then don't worry—concerns natural health products, which we know are used by millions of Canadians. We're hearing about all kinds of things where there's a backlog to actually register them, that people are very worried. Something like seven out of ten Canadians use natural health products. They want to make sure that their natural health products stay safe but also stay on the shelves.

Can you give us an update with regard to natural health products?

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

Unfortunately, as you have indicated, that's beyond the mandate of our directorate. We'll be happy to take that question and bring an update back to the committee.

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

What directorate is it?