Thanks very much, Mr. Chair, and thanks very much to each of you for being here this afternoon.
I gather that you've determined that we've heard a lot of witnesses on this subject and related subjects and that there are still a lot of things causing confusion. One of the questions I get asked most often by people in my riding, because they know I sit on the health committee, is about labelling and the fact that there never seems to be anything that's consistent. Many of you have referred to this today.
I will put my question out, and then anyone who wants to can answer. If you all want to comment on it, that would be fine.
We've been told over and over again that we need to look at the entire picture. We need to look at a balanced diet, we need to look at exercise, we need to look at everything, but how does the average Canadian know what to choose for the overall healthy diet? If you're diabetic, you choose low sugar, so you read the label for that. If you're on a fat-free diet, you choose the low-fat foods. If you're on low sodium, you choose the lower sodium. However, if you choose the low-fat one, you're often getting a high sodium choice or a high caloric choice. How does the average Canadian ever get through that, and how do we change the labelling process to promote healthy living?
Second, are any of you aware of any research on potential health hazards caused by poor comprehension of these nutrition labels?
I'll throw that out. Ms. Provencher, do you want to start?