Evidence of meeting #52 for Health in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was foods.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Vice-President, Communications, Canola Council of Canada
We're seeing considerable growth in the canola oil sector, not only in Canada but also in the United States, where canola oil consumption has gone from about 10% to about 13%. It's a small move, but it's having a benefit in removing transfats as well as saturated fats from the diet.
Conservative
The Acting Chair Conservative Tim Uppal
Thank you.
We're going to go into a makeshift mini-round. I'm going to allow Mr. Malo to get an answer to his question, and we'll have a couple of other small questions, so keep them short.
Bloc
Luc Malo Bloc Verchères—Les Patriotes, QC
Mr. Hunter, why is your website available only in English and Spanish, but not in French?
I have another question for you. When representatives from the baking industry appeared before the committee, they said how difficult it was for them to substitute some of their ingredients, such as trans fats, used in the production and manufacture of their products, which are then sold to consumers. They talked about stabilization. What they said is that they cannot find substitute ingredients that act as stabilizers. Could canola be used as a stabilizer, perhaps, or be used to develop substitute stabilizers?
Vice-President, Communications, Canola Council of Canada
I think that's where the industry has really looked to innovation. Again, forgive me for answering in English. That's one of the areas where food solutions have needed time to develop. In 2006 we were sitting here saying we need more time to develop solutions for trans fats. Over the last four years more and more products that have been developed using canola oil have actually been solutions to some of the problems related to shortenings or to some baked goods. It takes time for those solutions to be developed, but the industry has been very active in developing those solutions and has come forward with many options for the entire food sector.
Bloc
Vice-President, Communications, Canola Council of Canada
I'm sorry; our corporate website is available in English only, but our consumer website, which is canolainfo.org, is available in English, French, and Spanish.
Bloc
Vice-President, Communications, Canola Council of Canada
It's something we're working on, but it's not available at this time.
Conservative
Conservative
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This is just a quick question. We've heard a few issues about cost between, say, milk and pop. It's been phrased as an either-or thing, but nobody has mentioned water. Water is free. Water is good for you.
My question is quite simple. We haven't really talked about water. Mr. Duhamel or Mr. Sherwood, if you wanted to take the question, I would like a comment on the record. Are Canadians drinking enough water, and is it important for healthy living?
Public Affairs Manager, Dietitians of Canada
Definitely, water is important for healthy living.
The important thing to remember is that when we look at the Canadian diet per se, there are probably too many calories coming from liquids. We're forgetting about water. You're right in saying that. We should promote calories coming from other kinds of foods, rather than only liquids. We should be looking at fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products--the other foods--and stop focusing on the foods we don't want.
Conservative
Colin Carrie Conservative Oshawa, ON
So parents don't have to choose between milk and pop. There's another good alternative out there, right?
Public Affairs Manager, Dietitians of Canada
I would say in a healthy diet there's a place for everything. To be able to say that, you have to have the other products first.
Conservative
President, Refreshments Canada
I would suggest that the average adult human requires between 2.5 and 3 litres of fluid a day. That fluid can come from fruits and vegetables and foods. It can come from soft drinks. It can come from milk. It can also come from tap water, which runs freely and in Canada is of excellent quality.
Conservative
The Acting Chair Conservative Tim Uppal
Thank you very much.
Just before I get to Mr. Lamoureux, if it's okay with the committee, I have a quick observation.
You mentioned, Mr. Duhamel, the possibility of taxing pop to the level of juices. When I was talking to somebody when I was back in Sherwood Park over constituency week, they were saying that in a movie theatre, pop is priced at the level of juice. A movie theatre is one place where they sell a lot of pop. They price it artificially high, but pop still outsells juice and probably outdoes the free water fountain too.
At the end of the day is it more about education, or is that the answer?
Public Affairs Manager, Dietitians of Canada
Thank you for giving me back the opportunity to talk about this.
What we're saying in the position statement that came out and in the current issue that we published, which we made available to the members, is that taxation can be a tool used to make foods more equally priced in the hope of making the healthy choices more available, or at least more accessible. That's one thing.
Is that the only thing we need to do? I don't believe so. Data are not there to support that necessarily. Of course, if a healthy choice is much more expensive than the other one, we can understand and agree that it makes that other choice much easier to make. We just wanted to make sure that taxation can be considered as a tool to level the prices of these foods.
President, Refreshments Canada
I think it's naive to think that way when we're talking about obesity, as you've heard, and health issues, as you've heard. If you take one message away, it's an incredibly complex subject. There are multiple factors that come into play, including it's screen time, lack of exercise, and the types of foods you eat. You're going to hear it over and over. I think it's naive to think that by taxing one single food or beverage you're going to make a dent in anything as complex as obesity. That's number one.
Number two, there are two states in the U.S., West Virginia and Arkansas, that have had soda taxes for a period of time, and they rank second and ninth in terms of obesity in the U.S.
Conservative
Associate Professor, Scientific Researcher, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functionnal Foods, As an Individual
The example you gave really shows that food behaviour is social behaviour. When you go to the movies, you do not necessarily think of drinking a big glass of water. When you go to the movies, you usually end up buying popcorn and a soft drink. They go together. It is important to point out that the food we eat varies depending on the occasion. A lot of it is based on social, emotional or family factors. It is important to point that out.
Conservative
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Chair, I appreciate the comments, and it would be a very interesting debate to be able to continue along that line of education, healthy living, the different roles, and the impact.
Having said that, I want to go back to the nutritional facts that we see on the labels. I have seen more and more people looking at them, which is a good thing, I believe, but I don't have anything to support that. It's just a general observation. I do feel that it is complicated at best. Some would point out the very small font.
I'm wondering if there are recommendations or ideas that come from individuals or studies or anything of that nature that can shed some light on what we could be doing in order to make labels more consumer-friendly, if I can use those words, so that a wider public would actually be able to benefit from looking at these labels. Are there any studies? Is anything being done on that?
