Health Committee on Feb. 1st, 2011

[Kim Elmslie]

Thank you very much.

Thank you for that question.

As we all know, Dr. Leitch's report was a really important contribution to our understanding of childhood obesity. It's been a foundation for us in moving forward in the context of the work we've started with provincial and territorial governments under the framework for curbing childhood obesity.

Yes, we're looking at that report. We're looking at childhood obesity rates and how we, as FPT governments, can work together under the framework for action to do some tangible things to reduce those rates.

[Ruby Dhalla, Liberal, Brampton—Springdale, ON]

But has anybody invested in reducing childhood obesity in Canada right now?

[Kim Elmslie]

The funding for reducing childhood obesity is part of our existing program. So it's one of those things where it crosscuts the programs that we're responsible for implementing under the healthy living programs, as well as in our disease-specific strategy.

For example, even under our cancer strategy, we're looking at ways in which we can put a priority on childhood obesity. It crosscuts diabetes; it crosscuts all those strategies.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you, Ms. Elmslie.

We'll now go to Ms. Davidson.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thanks very much, Madam Chair.

Thank you for appearing before us again. It's great to see everyone once again.

I want to come back to the labelling issue. It's the one thing that I hear consistently from constituents, the misunderstanding of labelling or the inability to understand the labelling. I know that we were the first country to have the mandatory requirements, and it was only in the end of 2007.

But one of the biggest problems that is relayed to me is the fact that there is no standardization of the serving size. I'm always asked who determines what the serving size should be. I had somebody come to me the other day who had two packages of cookies. They were reading them and they were saying, “Oh, this one is better than this one.” Once you read the labels closely, one was for seven cookies and one was for three. So it totally reversed the expectation of which one was better and which one was worse.

Who determines the serving size? And if Health Canada did some standardized ones, why are they being changed so drastically? These were not drastically different cookies; they were all supposed to be low-sugar cookies. They were supposed to be what the constituent determined to be a healthier choice.

So that's one question. What do you have in the works to further improve the food labelling process, if anything?

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

Thank you for the question.

You're definitely raising an issue that we have with our nutrition labelling regulations. As you've mentioned, we're the first country in the world to have these regulations on a mandatory basis, to have a nutrition facts table. Therefore I would say that we don't have many other countries to learn from. Essentially we are learning, of course, from some of the issues pertaining to the implementation of these regulations.

We do have guidance. In fact there is a schedule in the food and drug regulations called schedule M, where guidance on the use of serving sizes is provided. Now, we realize that this guidance is not necessarily followed by everyone.

Initially the intent was really to leave some flexibility in that regard for different reasons, first of all because there wasn't necessarily a clear understanding of what the consumer might think or might seek in terms of the portion size. Should it be on the basis--I'm going to take the example of the cookie that you've highlighted--of 100 grams, because essentially you may have a light cookie and a heavier cookie? So should it be standardized as an amount, so that people can compare on the basis of 100 grams? Should it be on the basis of a cookie?

So essentially it's the unit of consumption, knowing that in some instances some consumers actually do not stop at one cookie. What is the actual portion of cookie consumption for Canadians? It was one of the reasons this area was left...supported by guidance but not necessarily made in a mandatory fashion.

We have acknowledged in the context of the life of the regulation that this area needs to be addressed. In fact, it's one of the first priorities for updates of the nutrition facts table, to look at ways in which we could further standardize that serving size specifically. We consider that actually it's a critical piece right now, particularly to make comparisons.

We would like to avoid situations where you have one food processor that made the effort to reduce sodium, for example, and we would be able to read the sodium content on the basis of a particular serving size. Then you have another instance when the other processor has simply changed the portion size and it would appear that the level of sodium is actually lower.

We have already identified that as an issue, and we have already started with some, I would say, voluntary measures. I have written a number of letters to the food processing industry advising them of this issue and asking them for their collaboration in that regard.

But we're not stopping there. We are actually undertaking a number of initiatives, consumer research being one of them. We are also consulting with the food industry and the processing industry, specifically to look at ways in which we can address this issue of serving size.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

What are you doing with consumer education? How is the public supposed to learn how to understand this labelling process?

[Dr. Hasan Hutchinson]

That flips over to my area of responsibility. We're responsible for the facts table as it relates to awareness and education.

When you're talking about serving sizes, this is an area that has come up in the research that we've done and that other groups have done over the past several years since the nutrition facts table has been fully implemented. What has come out of that research is that the most difficult concepts to understand have to do with the percentage daily value and the specific amount of food or serving size. That is what's at the core of our nutrition facts education campaign.

During the first phase of this campaign, we're concentrating on the percentage daily value, so as to get that concept across to Canadians. As part of the materials and resources that we've developed, we now have some interactive tools on our website that we introduced about four months ago. They take people through, looking at the amounts of food, so that you can start to understand the comparisons and then go from there.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you, Dr. Hutchinson. I think you're getting the feeling now.

Monsieur Malo.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I will ask you my two questions, and then you can have the remaining time to answer.

Dr. Godefroy, in your opening remarks, you said that “Health Canada is already pursuing regulatory approaches that support some of the sodium reduction initiatives outlined in the strategy, including the necessary updates to the nutrition labelling regulations [...]”.

I would like to know what those approaches are and whether they are based on the interim goal of 2,300 milligrams or the ultimate goal of 1,500 milligrams per day.

My second question is about energy drinks. I know that, a few months ago, Health Canada indicated that a series of analyses were under way, with a possible view to tightening up the regulatory framework for these types of drinks, which would allow for better oversight. There was even talk of specific legislation. I am wondering whether we will be seeing anything tangible in the near future.

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

Thank you.

In response to your first question, there are indeed a certain number of tangible steps aimed at updating the nutrition facts table. They will be carried out in conjunction with the sodium reduction strategy. First of all, when you look at the table, you probably notice the percentage of the daily value information. For sodium, that value is currently based on a required daily intake of 2,400 milligrams. We are going to revise that value. Of course, we will start by reviewing the scientific basis for that revision and ensure that the calculation is based on an updated value.That is a first and very tangible step.

The second and equally tangible measure affecting the nutrition facts table has to do with portions. The department is not ruling out the possibility of using a regulatory instrument to better control the use of portions, especially as it relates to sodium content indications. There will be a certain number of options. We will undertake serious discussions with food processing stakeholders. Some consultations have already been scheduled for this spring. They will actually be a continuation of previous discussions.

We will also pursue other regulatory measures in connection with the sodium reduction strategy. They will involve the approval of food additives. When you reduce the sodium content in certain processed products, you need to use an additive to ensure those products remain safe and do not pose a public health risk. Sorbic acid is one such food additive. We will need to determine whether we are going to broaden the use of sorbic acid or increase approved quantities, obviously while maintaining food safety. That will help to bring about reduced sodium levels in a number of processed foods.

As far as energy drinks go, they are currently subject to the Natural Health Products Regulations. So they are not within my area of responsibility. I will make a note of the question and ask the committee whether an update can be provided at a later date.

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

Madam Chair, that means I still have time for another question. I was not expecting that at all.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

No, Monsieur Malo, hold on here. You're so happy about this, but there are only 20 seconds left.

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

I will give the rest of my time to Ms. Beaudin, who had a very specific question.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Madame Beaudin, there are now eight seconds left, so you can blame it on Monsieur Malo, and perhaps next time he would be so generous as to give you his full time.

Would you do that, Monsieur Malo? That would be nice.

All right, I will now go on to Ms. O'Neill-Gordon.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

First of all, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for being here and for presenting on such a very important topic.

As a former teacher, I want to congratulate you on the fact that you have focused on the three main frameworks. I also want to say how important it really is and how you can't have one without the other. This is very important. It is important to all of us. Our government has done great things, and I'm just wondering if you have any short-term plans for what is coming up or how to even make better changes for making healthy food choices even better.

[Dr. Hasan Hutchinson]

Sure. I guess I'm not--

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

I'm looking into the future. What do you foresee happening that's going to make things even better for our children?

[Dr. Hasan Hutchinson]

I see. There are certainly some applications that we've done.

We've taken basically the guidance from the food guide and the guidance from the physical activity guides. We have the program “Eat well and be active”.

Basically, it's a way to get across messages, and educators can use this. As I mentioned earlier, part of it is just a poster type of thing, but we also have a number of images that can be used in the classroom. They can be used by dieticians with their groups as well.

We are trying to take the messages from these guides and then actually make them teachable moments. We are also preparing activity plans, so it makes it a lot easier for intermediaries to get across the messages that are there.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

I just want to comment on the recent ads. They certainly add a lot to anybody watching that and give a good message that will be easily comprehended by children, families, as well as parents.

[Dr. Samuel Godefroy]

If I may expand, there are a number of initiatives within the area of labelling and nutrition information disclosure specifically. There are a number of initiatives under way.

I have mentioned that we are working on updating the nutrition labelling requirements, even though these regulations are considered in the regulatory world as young regulations. Nonetheless, they can definitely be improved.

Another area is looking at the nutrition information disclosure in restaurants and the food service establishments. There is actually a very important initiative under way, mostly in collaboration with our provincial and territorial counterparts, but also in collaboration with the food service sector, to look at the best ways to standardize the information.

It is what we call manual labelling—we prefer to say “nutrition information disclosure”—for Canadians. Again, what we have achieved in terms of bettering the understanding of information for Canadians with regard to the pre-packaged food sector could also be built upon for the food service sector. That's one example of an initiative currently under way.

[Dr. Hasan Hutchinson]

Could I continue on that as well? Is there a little bit of time left?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

You certainly may. You have two minutes.

[Dr. Hasan Hutchinson]

As well, we've just entered into consultation with respect to guidelines for healthy term infants. We just released those consultations at the beginning of last month. We are looking here at guidance for health professionals with respect to feeding healthy term infants. We are about to enter into the age category of six months up to 24 months as well. That is work that we currently have under way.

We have been doing work on prenatal nutrition guidelines as well. I did mention the work we've been doing on gestation weight gain, but also we have updated our guidelines on folate, fish, and omega-3 fatty acids. There is certainly a fair amount of work going on in that area.

With respect to the nutrition facts education campaign, I had mentioned we are working on a database. We are doing the planning now for the next phases. The aspects we have been looking at have to do with the amount of food. We're trying to figure out at what time to actually go into a full-blown awareness education campaign on amount of food, especially if we're doing a bit of regulatory review, so we might be putting off the education side of that until the regulatory review has gone forward

And of course we're working on social marketing awareness campaigns with respect to sodium. Those are currently under way. We're just going into public opinion research with respect to messages that we can be taking to Canadians with respect to sodium.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you so much, Dr. Hutchinson.

We'll now go to Dr. Fry.