Ideal time to act on nutrition labelling on food

Ottawa should be introducing healthy eating initiatives,

As we've learned from the pandemic, the best way to lessen the cost and impact of illness is to prevent it; hence masks, social distancing, working from home and the great hope for vaccines.

We need to apply the same lessons to other serious health challenges. For example, eating ultra-processed packaged foods is linked to increased health risks including high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, obesity and cancer. In 2019, almost 36,000 deaths in Canada were attributed to unhealthy diets.

The packaged food industry has been thriving during the pandemic as we eat more comfort foods, snacks and find pleasure in the little things. Unfortunately, identifying healthy choices and comparing products in the grocery store is not an easy, straightforward task. We need simple nutritional information on the front of packaged foods. It's one very important way we can help prevent the illness and deaths that come from unhealthy food choices.

Governments and the health system in general are rightfully focused on the pandemic. However, the federal government has the opportunity to decide whether we come out of this pandemic relatively healthier by acting on other health commitments, including nutrition labelling policies.

And it won't take much time, effort or any money.

Healthy eating initiatives have been a pillar of this government's public health agenda, a pillar Canadians support. Canadians recognize the importance of healthy eating policies even as the pandemic continues, with 80 per cent supporting action on nutrition policies in the next six months.

The federal government's 2015 election platform, 2019 federal budget and several mandate letters from the Prime Minister to the Minister of Health committed to promoting healthy eating.

Some of the promised measures have been implemented, including a ban on artificial trans fats and the introduction of a revised Food Guide. The Food Guide is a key achievement of the federal government that received much public praise. This demonstrates that nutrition measures are good politics.

However, one important outstanding commitment is requiring clear front-of-package nutrition labelling. Work on this has been underway since 2015, but Canadians have yet to see it implemented and reap the benefits.

It is critical that the federal government implement the ready plans to mandate prominent and simple front-of-package nutrition labelling on packaged foods Canadians buy.

It would be relatively easy and cost-free for this government to implement as this measure has already undergone robust consultations, has received support from Canadians and would be as simple as finishing the process for regulatory change by posting and adopting the final draft regulation.

Since Canada's proposal was introduced in February 2018, several other countries have implemented mandatory front-of-package nutrition labelling, including one of our key trade partners, Mexico.

A proposal for harmonized, mandatory front-of-package nutrition labelling is slated to launch in the European Union in 2022. If Canada does not move soon to adopt this regulation, we will fall behind other countries instead of being a leader.

This may seem like a small policy that is unimportant in the context of a global pandemic. But the costs are very high.

Healthy Canadians mean a healthy economy. The economic burden of chronic diseases impacted by diet and other modifiable risk factors is $26 billion annually. Frontof-package labelling is an easy way to save $3.19 billion over 10 years in direct and indirect health costs.

So why hasn't this regulation been finalized to support the health and well-being of Canadians?

The government has faced significant pressure from the food and beverage lobby to set these regulations aside, claiming the burden of cost will be too great. We know this isn't true. The packaged food industry is seeing incredible profits right now as Canadians more than ever eat more of their products.

But also more than ever, Canadians deserve to know and clearly understand what is in the food they purchase so they can make healthy choices for themselves and their children.

This will save lives.