{"id":256934,"date":"2026-01-21T23:11:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/256934\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T23:11:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:11:17","slug":"new-health-warnings-considered-a-good-start-but-do-they-go-far-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/256934\/","title":{"rendered":"New health warnings considered a good start, but do they go far enough?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nicole Boyd knows what she\u2019s looking for when she flips over a packaged item at the grocery store. <\/p>\n

A practised hand at spotting what ingredients to avoid, the Fredericton-based dietitian can easily navigate the Nutrition Facts table found on most packaged food.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But she acknowledges the average consumer can find the complexities of the Health Canada information on labels confusing and even overwhelming. <\/p>\n

She applauds the new front-of-package labelling as a quick, clear warning to consumers that the product they\u2019re about to drop in the shopping cart may not be the wisest choice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The symbol of a magnifying glass has been mandatory<\/a> since Jan. 1 for all prepared foods that exceed 15 per cent of the recommended daily value in saturated fat, sugars or sodium.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it can give you a really quick snapshot of whether this product has ingredients that you’re trying to avoid,\u201d she said. \u201cIt can be a really simple way of knowing whether you want more of that product or less.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CerealNew labelling is mandatory for foods that exceed 15 per cent of the recommended daily value in saturated fat, sugars or sodium. (Allyson McCormack\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Consuming too much saturated fat, sugar or sodium can increase risk of stroke, obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some types of cancers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But there are exemptions to the new rules, including whole unprocessed foods such as fresh produce, raw meat, poultry and fish. <\/p>\n

Certain dairy products like plain milk, yogurt and cheese are also excused, because they’re high sources of calcium, as are some traditional products such as honey, maple syrup and pure sugars.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boyd said nutrition is very complex, and marketing companies can take advantage of that by deliberately misleading consumers and misrepresenting supposed health benefits.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Food industry driven by profit, not our health, expert says:\"\"<\/p>\n

New food labelling warns shoppers to take a closer look<\/p>\n

Health Canada\u2019s mandatory front-of-package labelling went into effect on Jan. 1, and that means foods high in saturated fat, sugars and\/or sodium now come with a warning. With skyrocketing rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease in Canada, the subtle warning is getting mixed reviews.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of those high sugar cereals are marketed as a whole grain because they do contain some whole grains, but they’re not necessarily a source of fibre.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tactics like that make food intervention important.<\/p>\n

Lana Vanderlee, associate professor at the University of Laval\u2019s school of nutrition, and Canada Research Chair in healthy food policy, said there are several other initiatives under review, but resistance from the food industry has made change difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir profits are the most important thing,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know that it’s unlikely to come from voluntary actions from the food industry, and it is government who is going to have to act, likely to change those behaviours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ALana Vanderlee, associate professor at the University of Laval\u2019s school of nutrition, says she hopes to see more changes in the coming years as consumers demand healthier products. (Submitted by Lana Vanderlee)<\/p>\n

Vanderlee said other policies being discussed include restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods, particularly to children, a move made in the United Kingdom earlier this month, with a landmark junk food ad ban<\/a> to protect kids\u2019 health.\u201c<\/p>\n

But we haven’t seen any action and we haven’t been able to get those policies passed, in part due to some food industry interference and lobbying,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, public health continues to suffer. <\/p>\n

The latest figures show more than two-thirds of Canadian adults are now classified as overweight or obese<\/a>, nearly a third live with diabetes or pre-diabetes,<\/a> and one quarter have high blood pressure<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an issue the entire world is trying to tackle. Since 2023, the World Health Organization has recognized<\/a> nine member states that have established a regulatory framework to eliminate industrially produced trans fats from their national food supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other countries are cracking down on food additives, including the United States, which began phasing out eight artificial food dyes,<\/a> linked to hyperactivity and obesity, seven of which are permitted in Canada.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The European Union has also banned the additive titanium dioxide<\/a>, after a European food safety authority couldn’t rule out that it may cause DNA or chromosomal damage in humans. It\u2019s still being used in popular Canadian candies such as Nerds, Skittles and M&Ms.<\/p>\n

Vanderlee said health policies are complex in terms of trading partners and current regulations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She expects to see more changes in the coming years \u201cas we see more and more scientific evidence about some of the impacts of the things that we put in our food, as well as consumers who are demanding that products are healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n

New labelling \u2018can\u2019t hurt,\u2019 say shoppers<\/p>\n

Trev Gonnason has been noticing the new labels while shopping at his local Fredericton Co-op store. He said he\u2019s conscious about what he buys, and he thinks the new labelling is a good idea. <\/p>\n

\"ATrev Gonnason says he would also like to see the labels extended to include the fast-food industry. (Allyson McCormack\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s one thing to read the label and the ingredients, but when it’s graphically presented to you, it’s a little easier to recognize the items which are especially high in sodium or sugars,\u201d he said. \u201cSome of it is common sense, but it doesn’t hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gonnason would also like to see the labels extended to fast food, which he said may be \u201cmore problematic than the foods we buy in grocery stores.\u201d And the logo itself could go further to show how high the product is in saturated fat, sodium or sugar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI have yet to see one that is not illustrated as being high and just part way along the scale,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that if they can have a graduated one, that would make more sense and certainly help in the decision-making process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jean-Claude LeBlanc knows his way around a nutrition table. He and his wife are label readers, he said, as they try to avoid unnecessary salt and fats in their diet.<\/p>\n

\"AJean-Claude LeBlanc thinks the new front-of-package labelling can\u2019t hurt, but he\u2019s skeptical it will promote big change. (Allyson McCormack\/CBC)<\/p>\n

He thinks the new front-of-package labeling \u201ccan\u2019t hurt,\u201d but he\u2019s skeptical it will have lasting impacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to be in the front of the label so you see it right away,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I think most of the people buy what they’re used to buying, and they may not even see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sue Morrison said she has high cholesterol and looks carefully at the groceries she buys. She said she\u2019s pleased to see the new symbol on products, and she hopes more people will pay attention to it and start eating healthier foods.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AAs a retired nurse, Sue Morrison says she worries about people’s health and hopes more people will pay attention to what they’re eating. (Allyson McCormack\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a retired nurse, I worry about obesity and the levels of diabetes and all of those things that are happening to people,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut it could go further . \u2026 We really do need to be paying more attention to our daily intake of fats and sugars.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nicole Boyd knows what she\u2019s looking for when she flips over a packaged item at the grocery store.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":256935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446],"class_list":{"0":"post-256934","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-nutrition"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/256935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}