Speaking Notes for The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health — The Easier Choice: Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy
Speech
Canadian Cardiovascular Congress
Vancouver, BC
October 21, 2017
Check against delivery
Thank you so much for asking me to join you here.
Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh.
My plan today is to pick up a conversation that Minister Philpott started with you all last year – that is, a conversation about healthy eating and what we can all do, together, to help make that an accessible objective for all.
Canada is a beautiful country, with plenty of good, healthy food — and yet we are, increasingly, struggling to eat well.
Ask a class of high school students how many of them ate fresh fruit and vegetables on a given day – and about 3 of them will put up their hands. Ask them how many ate junk food and 8 hands will go up.
Young people are surrounded by calorie dense, processed foods and sugary drinks. Amazingly, on average, we eat the equivalent of 26 teaspoons of sugar every day[1] – most of it coming from these kinds of foods.
As you well know, this poor diet is contributing to historically unprecedented rates of obesity in both adults and children.
Two thirds of adults in Canada, and close to one third of Canadian children are now overweight or obese.[2]
Obesity is a known risk factor for a range of chronic conditions – with which you are very familiar: type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, as well as osteoarthritis and some cancers.[3]
You are just getting to know me – but you will see that I am a very strong champion for wellness across the board. I recognize that there are, of course, other causes at play here – such as more sedentary lifestyles.
Sitting is the new smoking. This statement might sound shocking but I think there is truth in it. We’re not nearly as active as we should be. And we cannot think of building a healthy lifestyle without also focusing on being more physically active.
Today, however, I want to talk to you, specifically, about some of our healthy eating initiatives and engage you in helping me move them forward.
I am very excited by the bold actions we are taking.
They are informed by evidence and expertise of professionals like yourselves – and, I hope, will help you in your efforts to reduce the burden of chronic and cardiac disease in Canada, and its impact on your patients.
Our Healthy Eating Strategy has four pillars:
- Developing better nutrition information
- Protecting vulnerable populations
- Improving food access and availability
- Improving food quality
Canadians need the right information to make informed decisions about what to eat – as well as the right access, to be able to choose the good stuff when they want it.
Nutrition Information
When I reflect on what has changed — on why we are seeing rates of obesity remaining high — one of the things that comes to mind is the pace of our current day-to-day and the pressures we face to live balanced lives.
There are many factors that underline this change.
In the past forty years, for instance, the number of two income families[4] and the number of single income families have doubled[5] — both statistics which suggest that there are far fewer parents at home these days to help support healthy eating habits within their families.
We also live in an increasingly connected world – where the workday is not limited to 9 to 5 and there is simply less time to focus on food and feeding ourselves.
The connected world also means that there is more media through which we can be bombarded with food advertisements – which trigger our desire for something salty or sweet, often when we are most vulnerable to those cravings.
With so little time to spend on shopping and cooking – we increasingly seek easy options for feeding our kids and ourselves.
Not surprisingly, close to two thirds of the foods we buy are now processed and packaged.[6]
In 2013, Canada was second in the world in the sales of highly processed foods, according to the Pan-American Health Organization.[7]
Often these foods can be high in sodium, sugar or saturated fat. I don’t really need to tell you that when consumed in excess — and we know Canadians are consuming too much — these nutrients increase health risks, such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.[8]
If that’s not a sign of how alarming the situation is – I don’t know what else could be.
The aisles of our grocery stores are full of parents, quickly pulling cans off the shelves or pizzas out of the freezer – while also taking care of business on their phones, children in tow.
But they are not the only ones who struggle to make the right choices in the grocery store.
Most Canadians don’t have enough time to read complex labels on the go, and older Canadians, equally hard pressed to make the right food decisions in the face of competing challenges, such as more limited eye-sight or mobility.
We are doing a couple of things to try and simplify all of this.
Our goal is to ensure that Canadians have ready access to good information – so that they can make healthy food choices.
We started last December with the publication of proposed updates to the Nutrition Facts Table and the list of ingredients. For instance, serving sizes will be more consistent to be able to compare similar products, the calorie count will be more visible, the list of ingredients and allergen information will be more legible, all major sources of sugar added to foods will be grouped together and between parentheses after the word “sugars” and all food colours will be listed by their common name, rather than the generic term ‘colour’. These changes will help make the Nutrition Facts table and list of ingredients easier to read and use.
That said, we know that people often don’t have time to decipher complex nutritional information. And that new Canadians who are still learning French or English could find nutrition fact tables even more difficult to read.
Therefore, we consulted on a proposal earlier this year proposing “front of pack” labelling for foods high in sugar, sodium and/or saturated fats. We are now reviewing the results of this consultation and we hope to make further announcements on this later in the year.
Our objective in developing better nutrition information is simple. We’ve got to help Canadians make informed decisions when buying food. – And to encourage them to think twice before tossing unhealthy products in their grocery cart.
This initiative complements improvements to the Nutrition Facts table, and will help Canadians apply Canada’s Food Guide recommendations.
Canada’s Food Guide is one of the most downloaded Government publications. It is familiar to many who have studied it in home economics, who have thumbed through it at school or in a doctor’s office, and maybe stuck it on your fridge at some point. But this iconic document needs a face lift.
A new Food Guide, to be helpful, should focus on how to eat healthier as well as on what to eat.
We’re talking about adopting healthy habits.
We will transform the current paper document into innovative tools — in formats that are more modern and better suited to the needs of different audiences.
Vulnerable Populations
For some us, information on what to eat is not enough. We are also influenced by other factors — including advertising and endorsements that trigger our most basic eating instincts, particularly our love for fat, sugar and salt.
Children are particularly vulnerable to marketing. Recognizing this, millions of dollars are currently spent targeting children and youth through multiple channels including TV, the web and ads in our communities.
Children, in turn, have a strong influence over what goes into the family’s grocery cart. We’ve all witnessed a kids tirelessly “nagging” or “whining” to get what he wants.
Research by the Heart and Stroke Foundation reveals that over 90% of food and beverage product ads viewed by kids and teens online are for unhealthy products, and collectively kids between the ages of two and 11 see 25 million food and beverage ads a year on their top 10 favourite websites.[9]
We don’t need to name any brands to know which products are the most frequently advertised on our children’s favourite websites.
In an effort to protect children from the impact of this exposure, we have consulted on proposed approaches to restrict marketing to kids to reduce the exposure of kids and teens under age 17 to marketing of unhealthy food and beverages through legislation and regulatory changes under the Food and Drugs Act.
Our proposals are very much aligned with those put forward by Senator Nancy Greene Raine in a bill recently passed by the Senate.
I am pleased to share today that our Government will support this bill as it moves into the House. And I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure its passage.
Food Access
If we can provide Canadians with more reliable nutritional information, it will allow them to make better choices — but we also need to ensure that they have access to the products they choose.
The reality is, in Canada, that despite our pride in Canadian beef, seafood, dairy, grains, fruits and vegetables —healthy food can be hard to get in some places.
When we talk about food security, we think, in particular, of Canada’s North.
Those in rural and Northern communities face significant challenges in accessing fresh food, in particular — but there are also food deserts in our urban centers.
In many areas of the country, it is easier to walk to a corner store for a bag of chips then it is to access a grocery store to buy fresh fruits or vegetables. It is often, also cheaper to buy that bag of chips — or a value meal at any fast food chain — than it is to pay for a healthy meal.
My colleagues and I are working hard on policies that will address some of these gaps. Our government is working with Northern communities to ensure that families have access to affordable, healthy food.
The bounty of Canada is rich — and it should be accessible to all of us.
Food Quality
We are also working with industry to ensure that foods that are sold to Canadians are as healthy as possible.
As those of you here know well, there are some foods that have little nutritional value – are simply not good for us.
Our government has sought to bring in tougher regulations to eliminate trans fats and to reduce salt in processed foods.
I was pleased to announce last month that Health Canada is banning partially hydrogenated oils — which are the main source of industrially produced trans fats — in all food sold in Canada. The ban will come into force in a year’s time.
While many industry players have already taken steps to eliminate trans fats in the foods they sell and serve, this extra bit of time will allow them tofind suitable alternatives.
We have also been working with industry to address sodium levels in food.
Most of us eat two to three times the recommended amount of salt without even realizing it.[10]
Reformulating these products takes time —but we are committed to seeing this priority through. This is really about making the foods on grocery store shelves and in food service establishments healthier.
We look forward to continuing to work with industry further as we ensure that the best of Canada’s bounty is available to all.
Conclusion
In closing, I would like to also, very explicitly ask for your help in moving these initiatives forward.
This is not just a health issue; it has huge potential impact to reduce the incidence of chronic disease, which cost our economy billions each year. People cannot contribute to our economy to the full extent of their ability when they are dealing with a chronic illness.
The Healthy Eating Strategy is also part of our Government’s broader approach to improving the food environment in Canada. I am working with my colleague the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food as we build a Food Policy for Canada. In addition to the priorities I have outlined here, the Food Policy will set goals for how we can sustainably maintain our supply of nutritious, affordable food in a way that supports and grows our agriculture and food sector.
I was thrilled to be asked by the Prime Minister to serve as Health Minister.
During the last two months, I was impressed by the good work going on at Health Canada. I was already a strong advocate for health, I try to train regularly and eat a home cooked meal as much as I can.
There are also many dedicated professionals working on these initiatives, which will make a significant difference in the health and wellbeing of Canadians. You may know some of them. They cannot accomplish all of this on their own. To succeed, it is clear to me, that we need to work together.
I need the help and support of those, like you, who care as much as I do about healthy living and healthy eating — and who understand the urgency to act with respect to alarming rates of obesity and chronic disease in this country.
Our goal is a good policy that makes a difference for Canadians. Many of you have helped us collect the evidence and data on which our initiatives are based. As we refine our proposals, your insights and expertise will be very valuable.
We must make it loud and clear that status quo is not an option — that going forward we will all be dedicated to make it easier for Canadians to make good food choices and have access to healthy foods.
We need all hands on deck, and nobody can make change happen alone.
Thank you.
Notes
- https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2011003/article/11540-eng.htm
- Rao D, Kropac E, Do M, Roberts K, Jayaraman G. Childhood overweight and obesity trends in Canada. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada: Research, Policy and Practice. 2016;36(9), 194-198
- https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-625-x/2015001/article/14185-eng.htm
- http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2016005-eng.htm
- http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-006-x/2015001/article/14202/parent-eng.htm
- https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2017-heart-month/heartandstroke-reportonhealth2017.ashx
- http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/7699/9789275118641_eng.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y&ua=1
- https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/food-nutrition/evidence-review-dietary-guidance-summary-results-implications-canada-food-guide.html
- https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2017-heart-month/heartandstroke-reportonhealth2017.ashx
- Health Canada. Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004). Nutrient intakes from food: provincial, regional, and national summary tables. Vol 1. Ottawa; 2007