Thank you so much for the question.
Another portfolio that I became quickly briefed on and versed in is our healthy eating strategy. As probably many of you are aware, last year the previous minister of health, Minister Philpott, launched the healthy eating strategy. Certainly some progress has already been made with respect to work that needs to be done.
When I look at the healthy eating strategy, I really look at three pillars, three areas in which work needs to be done. The first one is Canada's food guide, which I believe is the one you guys are studying right now. Another one is marketing to kids, and the third one would be front-of-pack labelling.
We recognize that as Canadians we are facing an obesity crisis, really and truly. One in three children are either overweight or obese. Two out of three Canadians are either overweight or obese. We recognize that what we eat certainly contributes to the chronic health crisis that we're faced with, as well as the level of chronic disease in our country.
We also recognize that as a government we're spending over $26.7 billion a year when it comes to chronic health conditions in this country, so work needs to be done.
With respect to our healthy eating strategy, we recognize that it's not the only avenue that will help address this health crisis, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.
When we look at the issue of Canada's food guide, I'm really excited to see the review that's under way right now, and I'm really looking forward to the results of the study you guys are doing, as well. We recognize that Canada's food guide is a bit dated now, but it's certainly a document that many Canadians use because it's the second most requested document from Canadians, so we certainly know that people still feel the value of having Canada's food guide.
What I would say is that we certainly have to make sure that our food guide is modernized and up to date. We live in a multicultural country right now, and there are many different diets out there, so it's really important to make sure the research is done. For Canada's food guide, I really see it as a model to be able to tell Canadians not what to eat but the types of things they can eat to get the nutrients they need. At the end of the day, that's really what the new version of the food guide is going to be all about.
With respect to the food guide, that's really the work that's being done there and I'm very pleased that the department, hopefully by mid-2018, will be able to give an update as to where we're at there.