Ottawa, Canada – Health Canada proposes changes in food nutrition labels, making them easier to read.
Order of Nutrients
The Canadian Health Minister Rona Ambrose said that the Canadian government proposes changes to the nutrition facts on food labels. She believes that this proposal will address the concerns of most parents. Ambrose said that labels would emphasize the order of nutrients such as calories. Canadians would want to focus on information about the amount of ‘added sugar’ in food nutrition labels. The World Health Organization (WHO) also recommends lowering the sugar intake to less than 5% calories every day. Different urgent care clinics, food manufacturers and distributors have also showed participation and support to the proposal.
Online Public Consultations
In line with the government proposal, Ambrose also initiated a series of public consultation online, surrounding the proposed changes. Proposals in serving sizes were discussed, making it more consistent with similar food. Serving sizes should reflect what most people normally eat at one sitting like 2 slices of bread for instance. Parents’ concerns were ignited through the online public consultations, showing their urgent care towards the issue. They were concerned about the amount of added sugar in their children’s cereals, Ambrose emphasized. She recommends that all types of sugars, whether brown sugar or molasses, should be grouped together so that shoppers can quickly read the amount of added sugars on labels compared to other ingredients.
Proposed Changes
Ambrose emphasized that basically, the proposed changes will aim at improving the consumers’ understanding of ingredients. Proposed changes would eliminate the list of vitamins A and C. However, the vitamin D and potassium will be required on the labels. Health Canada claims that the majority of the Canadian population is not getting adequate amounts of Vitamin D and potassium, putting them at high risks of chronic diseases. In order to prevent a quick visit to an urgent care near me, consumers must always understand the food nutrition labels before any purchase.
Complications on Labels
The proposed changes also aim at reducing or eliminating the complications on labels. A percentage Daily Value will be included at the bottom of every nutrition table, while reminding consumers on how to use such information. Dr. Thomas Wolever, a teacher of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto said that the proposed changes will do a good job in informing consumers. Consumers would not require the assistance of any urgent care clinic or any other experts in interpreting such labels. However, Wolever suggests to still emphasize the carbohydrate counts in all food nutrition labels as it is vital for those suffering from diabetes.
