After two years of research, the Senate’s Social Affairs, Science and Technology Committee found that obesity in Canada costs between $4.6 billion and $7.1 billion each year, due to increased healthcare costs and lost productivity.
Why does this report matter so much? It matters, because on top of giving classical recommendations such as increased education and funding towards physical education programs, the committee proposed changes that the government has never pursued, including some that will cause great problems for the food and beverage lobby.
One of the most important changes proposed was an additional “soda tax.” Even though the food and beverage lobby opposed this decision, the committee still decided on a tax recommendation. The report does not include a set number, yet it mentions that it should be high enough to induce a change in behaviour. In addition to this, they also found the classification of fruit juices as actual servings of fruits to be nonsense, stating, “fruit juice is little more than a soft drink without the bubbles.”
Another topic of discussion was the Canada Food Guide. The guide was described as ineffective and confusing, since it gives nutrient-based advice as opposed to meal-based. The report added, “People don’t eat nutrients, they eat meals.”
Not only did the committee call for the guide to be completely rewritten, they also wanted the food industry to be left out of the process. During the preparation of the last Canada Food Guide, there was public outcry after claims that representatives from the industry were increasing serving sizes, particularly for the meat and alternatives section (CBC News). The Senate report now recommends that the committee be comprised of only experts in areas such as nutrition and biochemistry.
An additional recommendation was made for menus and menu boards at restaurants. The committee argued that since the preparation of food is relatively standardized at most places, adding nutritional labels should be easy and beneficial for the public.
Given the increased incidence of obesity and the prevalence of old-age diseases such as diabetes and hypertension in a much younger population, nutritional education is a must to turn this around. Now it’s up to the government to decide whether or not to pursue these recommendations.
Images obtained from:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/421/soci/RMS/01mar16/NewsRel…
http://weirdwire.com/item/19503_photographer-captures-stunning-gradients…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada%27s_Food_Guide
Information obtained from:
www.parl.gc.ca/SenCommitteeBusiness/CommitteeHome.aspx?parl=42&ses=1&Lan…
www.parl.gc.ca/content/sen/committee/421/SOCI/Reports/2016-02-25_Revised…
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php
www.cbc.ca/news/health/the-politics-of-food-guides-1.1268575