Obesity Canada is proud to endorse the INFORMAS Canada FOOD EPI-2023 report.
Obesity Canada is pleased to support the following policy and infrastructure support recommendations for priority action by the federal government.
Recommendations for top 5 priority policy actions:
1. Prohibit advertising of less healthy food products and brands through all forms of media to which children may be exposed
2. Fund a comprehensive and universal national school food program
3. Implement mandatory targets for sodium, free sugar, and saturated fat for key food categories in packaged and restaurant foods
4. Invest in inclusive strategies to support the affordability of healthy foods for those with lower incomes
5. Implement a sugary drink levy on all sugary drinks and invest the revenue in policies to reduce health inequities
Recommendations for top 2 priority infrastructure support actions:
1. Revise the Healthy Eating Strategy with dietary inequities as a central focus
2. Comprehensively monitor dietary patterns and nutritional status on an ongoing basis, ensuring that marginalized groups are fully represented in the data
As part of the Food-EPI Canada 2023 exercise, a group of distinguished food and nutrition policy experts from across Canada strongly agreed that it was a priority for the federal government to take action in these areas. These recommendations have the potential to guide and elevate current work and actions
that were proposed as part of Health Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy. The report also contains specific recommendations that could support the forthcoming roll out of the national school food funding.
Although combined efforts from all provincial, territorial and federal governments are needed to improve food environments in Canada, these recommendations highlight concrete actions that the federal government could take to improve the dietary patterns and reduce diet-related noncommunicable diseases in Canada. The Canadian government will need to continue to act and build upon current policies to limit barriers to healthy eating and fulfill their duty to protect the health of all those living in Canada.
As a health organization deeply concerned about the ongoing high rates of diet-related noncommunicable diseases and their detrimental impact on Canadians’ health, actions in these areas is critically important.
This report has been endorsed by the following organizations:
Heart & Stroke, Collectif ital, Canadian Cancer Society, Diabetes Canada, Food Secure Canada, Dietitians of Canada, Yukon Energy Food Security Network, Canadian Hypertension Coalition
