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(Courtesy Health Canada)<\/p>\nIt\u2019s been a few months since Health Canada slapped robust food warnings on hundreds of products at the grocery store, but not everyone is a fan.<\/p>\n
The labels are black and white, typically in the top right corner of the package, and warn of high levels of sodium, salt, or fat.<\/p>\n
(Courtesy Health Canada)<\/p>\n
Ali Chernoff, a Vancouver-based dietitian, tells 1130 NewsRadio she understands the concept but feels it\u2019s misleading.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause when you think about sodium\u2026 things that are grown in the ground, like brown rice, quinoa, a whole array of legumes, if a product has all of those ingredients, and I\u2019ve seen it a bunch of times, where it has whole foods that come from the ground but there\u2019s no extra salt added, those foods naturally are high in sodium. So, they\u2019re going to get flagged.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds the onus is on consumers to make the best decision for their diet, lifestyle, and caloric intake and says you really have to read the label.<\/p>\n
Chernoff worries some items, including good-for-you foods, like dates, for example, may be labelled as high in sugar.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my experience, talking to my clients, because I want to get feedback from them, they said if they just [go by the label], they\u2019d be like, \u2018No, I\u2019m not going to buy it.\u2019 They\u2019re not going to do a deep dive to look at the label. They\u2019re going to see [the warning] and be like, \u2018OK, put it back.’\u201d<\/p>\n
She explains the key is to flip the package over, read the ingredient list, and look at the nutritional label.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be frank, I think the label needs to be revamped completely, because it\u2019s also very confusing with the percentages and all that on the side. It\u2019s not actually based on the percentage of what the product is. It\u2019s based on someone having 2,000 calories, which is also not really realistic in a day. Most of my clients are not having 2,000 calories. It\u2019s like one extreme to the next because\u2026 I also see a lot of athletes, so they\u2019re more like 4,000, so even for them, the labels aren\u2019t going to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chernoff wants labelling on packaging to be simplified so people aren\u2019t doing a ton of math every time they pick up a product.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment, [customers] should just be looking at the ingredient list because then, at the very least, they can see what ingredients are in each product, and of course we know it goes from the most to the least, and by the end if you\u2019re reading ingredients that you have no idea what it is, that\u2019s when you put it back on the shelf.\u201d<\/p>\n
Health Canada tells 1130 NewsRadio the warning symbol is mandatory on most prepackaged foods sold in this country, including those manufactured here and imported for sale.<\/p>\n
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(Courtesy Health Canada)<\/p>\n
The federal agency says some foods don\u2019t require the label, including fruits and veggies without added saturated fat, sugar, or salt, certain dairy products like plain milk, plain yogurt, and cheese, because the calcium is good for you, and raw, single-ingredient meats.<\/p>\n
Others that don\u2019t require the label are products for babies, meal replacements, and nutritional supplements.<\/p>\n
Health Canada says one of its goals is to assist people in making better decisions in a bid to help the growing population sidestep the risks of stroke, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and some types of cancer.<\/p>\n
The warning is in place when the salt, sugar, or fat is more than 15 per cent of your daily value, which is considered high.<\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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