Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We want to thank the committee on health for inviting the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association to speak on healthy living. We're a non-partisan national organization that has more than 30,000 members representing restaurants across the country.
You should have before you a package of information that Joyce and I will be presenting during our presentation.
There's a saying in our business: “If you're not at the table, you're on the menu.” With an important issue such as healthy living, it's essential that the restaurant sector be included at the healthy living policy table. Our key message is that we should be seen as an important part of the healthy living solution, not as part of the problem.
Healthy living is a major imperative for CRFA and its members. Last year, we developed a healthy living vision with 10 principles, which was endorsed by our board and our membership across the country. It is included in your package. Recently, we've been working with several provinces, including Ontario and B.C., in this area. We've also been involved in national strategy sessions with key senior representatives from the agriculture, health, and food sectors. And over the past several years we've worked closely with the federal government, and specifically Health Canada, on such key issues as sodium, trans fat, and nutritional information in our establishments.
In March, the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association is participating in a nutrition disclosure think tank with Health Canada and other leaders in this area, and we want to bring some of that information to the table today.
I'm going to ask Joyce, my colleague, to speak specifically on those areas.