NDP Statement on Canada’s New Food Guide

NDP Health Critic, Don Davies, issued the following statement:

“Canada’s Food Guide is a vital source of information on nutrition for millions of Canadians. It is the federal government’s most widely-read document.
New Democrats believe that Canada’s Food Guide should be based on the best-available nutrition science. This update could alter what our children eat at school, what patients are served in hospitals, how we learn about food and, ultimately, how grocery stores stock their shelves.
That’s why New Democrats are pleased to see that Canada’s new Food Guide includes a number of new evidence-based recommendations for healthy eating, such as replacing sugary drinks with water and limiting the consumption of highly processed foods.
As a next step, New Democrats are calling for the implementation of effective front-of-package labelling requirements to help Canadians choose products that are lower in sodium, sugars or saturated fat. The overconsumption of sodium, sugars or saturated fat increases the risk of a variety of chronic diseases, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
It’s also important to remember that many Canadians can’t afford to follow the food guide’s nutrition recommendations. According to research by the University of Toronto's Dr. Valerie Tarasuk, over 4 million Canadians, including 1.15 million children, live in homes that struggle to put food on the table.
The federal government could dramatically reduce food insecurity in Canada by working with the provinces and territories to guarantee universal access to nutritious meals for children in Canadian schools. Canada is currently the only G7 country that doesn't have a national school food program.”