On 20.7.22 the new nutritional information rules introduced by Health Canada, with warnings on the front of the label (Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labeling, FOPNL) of food products with excessive levels of saturated fat, sugar and / or salt (sodium).
Il warning it is displayed with a symbol depicting a magnifying glass, in order to draw consumers' attention to the nutritional profiles of foods. And thus help Canadian residents to carry out 'more conscious food choices'. (1)
1) Synthetic nutritional information on the label front (FOPNL). Scenario
Nutritional labeling on the label front, as we have seen, (2) has been the subject of specific recommendations by WHO (World Health Organization). In the face of a Global Syndemic - the epidemic of serious and non-communicable diseases (Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs) related to obesity and overweight, unbalanced diets and malnutrition - which afflicts the entire planet. With a serious impact on the duration and quality of life, also in Europe and Italy (3,4).
2) FOPNL, the most popular systems
The need to reduce the intake of saturated fats, sugars and sodium (from salt and other sources, eg sodium glutamate) - in addition to the overall energy intake - is promoted through specific information on the label, with different approaches in different countries around the world. Some examples:
- NutriScore. Civil society is fighting against LOBBY di Big food to obtain the obligation to insert this FOPNL system - one of the most effective, according to science (5,6) - on the label front of the generality of food products in the EU,
- healthy logo. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the USA, is working on the revision of a FOPNL labeling system to favorably distinguish nutritionally balanced foods (7)
- Mexico, Chile, Peru and Uruguay they introduced warning labels of strong visual impact, white on black, to distinguish junk food at a glance. (8)
2) Health Canada, nutritional policies
Canada, like many other countries, is experiencing an endemic and increasing prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) associated with unbalanced diets. Health Canada has therefore strengthened its nutritional policies, on both fronts of:
- promote nutrition education already offered through the useful program Food Guides,
- introduce a FOPNL system inspired by successful experiences in Latin America. Referring to the example of Chile, where the warnings on the label front had a significant impact on food consumption and the reformulation of products in a healthy way (-37% sodium and -27% sugar).
2.1) Foods subject to label warnings
Health Canada requires the insertion of the symbol with warnings on prepackaged foods subject to nutrition declaration whose levels of saturated fat, sugar and / or sodium (salt) in a 'reference quantity'- or in the portion, whichever is greater - exceed certain percentages of the daily reference intake (Daily Value):
- 15% saturated fat, sugar or sodium in most prepackaged foods,
- 10% in foods packaged in small quantities (≤ 30 g / ml. snack sweet and savory),
- 30% in pre-packaged main courses (≥ 200 g, 170 g if intended for children aged 1-4. Eg ready meals, pizza). (9)
The 'reference quantity' it is the average amount of food that a person takes on a single consumption occasion. Serving size is the amount of food used to calculate the nutrition facts table numbers and is based on the reference amount.
3) FOPL in Canada. Exemptions
The Canadian symbol with nutritional warnings is essentially aimed at processed packaged foods and ultraprocessed foods. Health Canada therefore introduced three categories of exemptions:
3.1) Exemptions for health reasons
Some foods are exempted from the warnings on the label (FOPNL) due to the benefits recognized to them for the protection of the health of the entire population or vulnerable subpopulations:
- whole or cut vegetables and fruit, fresh, frozen, canned or dried. Whole and semi-skimmed milk (2% fat), eggs,
- foods with a healthy fat profile (e.g. vegetable oils, nuts, fatty fish) e
their combinations. Without prejudice to the hypothesis of preparations with ingredients that contain saturated fats, sugars and / or sodium,
- foods that are important sources of 'insufficient nutrients', which is not readily available in other foods and which most people in Canada do not get enough of. For example, many cheeses and yogurts are exempt from the obligation to indicate warnings on saturated fats and naturally occurring sugars (e.g. lactose, not even added sugars). Other cheeses are exempt from the sodium symbol, as long as they offer a certain amount. Exemptions subject to reassessment after 10 years,
- foods formulated to meet the needs of specific populations, eg. food for sportsmen, individual rations for military personnel.
3.2) Technical exemptions
Other foods they are exempted as they are not subject to a nutrition declaration. For example:
- whole meats, raw poultry and fish (even if minced, with a single ingredient),
- foods sold in farmers' markets,
- food supplied in food service in very small packs (e.g. bread packs and crackers, single-serving creams and chocolates to accompany the coffee).
3.3) 'Practical' exemptions
A third series of exemptions applies to ingredients for domestic cooking, which the NOVA system places in the second of the four categories (10) used to distinguish foods:
- sugar, honey, maple syrup,
- table salt and flavored salt,
- butter and other fats and oils.
Provisional conclusions
The food industry has until 1.1.2026 to adapt its labels for sales in Canada. And so to reformulate the products, in order to reduce the impact on sales - and on the health of the population - of the warnings that could otherwise appear on the label front of most of the packaged food products that today contribute to the diet of Canadians at 60% .
Dario Dongo
Footnotes
(1) HealthCanada. Front-of-package nutrition labeling. 30.6.22, https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2022/06/front-of-package-nutrition-labelling.html
(2) Dario Dongo. Codex Alimentarius, the NutriScore and the WHO guidelines. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 21.9.21/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(3) Sabrina Bergamini, Dario Dongo. Obesity, childhood obesity and marketing. WHO Europe 2022 report. GIFTS (Great Italian Food Trade). 16.6.22/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(4) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Ultraprocessed foods, disease and premature mortality. I study in Italy. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 11.12.21/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(5) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. How to solve the nutritional conundrum? News on the label front, review and perspectives. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 29.12.20/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(6) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. NutriScore, consumer health prevails over agro-industrial lobbies. Petition and insights. GIFTS (Great Italian Food Trade). 18.5.22/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(7) Dario Dongo. USA, FDA working on a healthy logo to be applied on the front of the labels. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 21.5.22/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(8) Dario Dongo. Mexico, via the nutritional warnings on the front of the label. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 10.2.20/XNUMX/XNUMX,
(9) HealthCanada. Front-of-package nutrition labeling. 30.6.22, https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-labelling-changes/front-package.html
(10) Dario Dongo. NOVA classification, natural and ultra-processed foods. Friends and enemies of health. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). two.
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
