Hungry for Information

2005-10-18

At one time, an apple a day might have kept the doctor away, but these days many Canadians are putting a little more thought into the impact that the foods they are eating may have on their overall health.

A Statistics Canada report released in July 2005 shows that despite a growing emphasis on good nutrition and achieving a healthy body weight, obesity among Canadians has risen significantly over the last 25 years. The same is true of a number of serious health conditions that have been linked to obesity, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer.

Faced with these unsettling statistics, where are Canadians turning for reliable information about nutrition?

While it might not be the most fascinating reading, many are taking a closer look at food labels. In fact, a survey of nutrition trends conducted by the Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition (CCFN) in 2004, found that 75 per cent of respondents used food labels as their primary source of nutritional information.

"Consumers do want to know more," says Francy Pillo- Blocka, president and CEO of CCFN. "They’re hungry for information about what they’re eating and how this affects their health".

The CCFN survey suggests that a majority of Canadians are reading labels, and that in general they trust what they read, something that can’t be said for much of the diet and health information they receive from the media. What labelreading Canadians have probably noticed in the last couple of years is that even more of their favourite foods now prominently display nutritional information, and that the labels include more, easier to read data, than in the past.

This is due in part to amendments to Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations announced on January 1, 2003, requiring most pre-packaged foods to include a "Nutrition Facts" box that follows a standardized format. The fact boxes must provide the amount of calories per stated serving size, and also list the percentage of the daily requirement and the amount of 13 core nutrients found in a serving of the food. The revised regulations also set out strict rules for manufacturers making nutrient claims (ie: fat-free, high in fibre, reduced sodium) or claims associated to the health benefits of certain nutrients. Most food manufacturers are required to be completely compliant with these changes by December 12, 2005. Small businesses have until 2007 to make the necessary changes.

As the body responsible for enforcing compliance to the labelling regulations, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), strongly recommends that producers use a laboratory accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) to conduct the necessary nutritional analysis testing to support labelling claims. SCC-accredited labs have demonstrated that they meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025, the internationally recognized standard for the competence of calibration and testing laboratories.

Ron Reddam is the Senior Technical Representative of Food Sciences at Maxxam Analytics, a national laboratory, accredited by SCC, that provides nutritional testing services to thousands of Canadian clients, including large and small food producers, grocery store chains and fast food outlets.

"Companies want to make sure that their speedometer is reading the same as the radar gun that could be pointed at them," says Reddam. He explains that accreditation is one way that Maxxam can demonstrate to its clients that the results it gives them are reliable and accurate. Another, according to Reddam, is by using the testing methods recommended by CFIA for key nutrients such as the fatty acids (total, saturated and trans) and Vitamin C.

He says that clients want to ensure that they receive the most accurate data possible for their products, not only to comply with regulation but also as a way of demonstrating their accountability to increasingly demanding consumers and retailers in a competitive environment.

"This trend is not just based upon regulations, it’s also based upon consumers that are asking, demanding, accountability for reliable nutrient data and nutrient claims." According to Reddam, there has been some increase in nutritional analysis clients since Health Canada announced its new requirements in 2003, but many Canadian producers were already doing nutritional testing. For some, this was a way to meet U.S. requirements, where mandatory labelling has been in place for several years. In many cases, others in the supply chain have made nutritional testing by an accredited laboratory for all mandatory nutrients a requirement.

"Whether they put it on their packages or not, now most companies, even if they have exemptions are complying with the regulation," says Reddam. He says market demand is another key reason that companies chose to test and label their products.

Accurate testing results are especially important with respect to the new stricter guidelines for nutrient and health claims, adds Reddam.

Manufacturers don’t want to risk having someone else, whether it is CFIA, a competitor, or a concerned consumer, test their product and find that it does not live up to the claim that is being made. Reddam believes that using an accredited lab and having these results at hand is a way for companies to demonstrate that they are accountable.

In addition to being accountable to consumers about what is in their products, Pillo-Blocka suggests that more stringent nutrition labelling requirements are putting increased pressure on manufacturers to explain why their products contain what they do. She points to the example of trans fats, which have been linked in several recent medical studies to obesity and diabetes. The Health Canada regulations require the presence of trans fats to be disclosed on labels. As a result, she notes that a number of companieshave reformulated their products to either significantly reduce or eliminate the use of trans fats.

It is encouraging that consumers are using labels to take control of their eating habits, and adopt a healthier lifestyle, one that might just include an apple a day.

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This article first appeared in Volume 32 of CONSENSUS Magazine, 2005.  The information it contains was accurate at the time of publication but has not been updated or revised since, and may not reflect the latest updates on the topic.  If you have specific questions or concerns about the content, please contact the Standards Council of Canada.

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