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Explore Canada's food guide. Find our healthy eating recommendations, food guide kitchen, tips, resources and more.
- Canada's Dietary Guidelines
Organization Health Canada Type Guidance Document Pub....
- Search Recipes
Search for and filter recipes by vegteable and fruit, whole...
- Food Guide Snapshot
The food guide snapshot has two main images. The first image...
- Resources
The history of Canada’s food guide, revision process,...
- Eat Protein Foods
If you eat only plant-based foods, choose a variety of...
- The Kitchen
The food guide kitchen helps you apply Canada's food guide...
- Tips for Healthy Eating
Canada’s food guide. Tips for healthy eating. Meal planning...
- Eat Vegetables and Fruits
Use the food labels to help you compare canned vegetables...
- Canada's Dietary Guidelines
Nov 3, 2023 · Draft – List of permitted food colours. Notice. On November 4, 2023, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency pre-published in the Canada Gazette, Part I the Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Concerning Food Additives and Compositional Standards, Microbiological Criteria and Methods of Analysis for Food.
- Overview
- On this page
- Welcome to Health Canada's annual highlights report
- Food and nutrition: 2021 in brief
- Ensuring the safety of Canada's food supply
- Improving the nutritional quality of food
- Regulatory innovation
- Promoting healthy eating
- Canada's food guide
- Additional healthy eating initiatives
(7.36 MB, 42 pages)
Organization:
Published: 2022-06-06
Cat: H161-12E-PDF
•Welcome to Health Canada's annual highlights report
•Food and nutrition: 2021 in brief
•Ensuring the safety of Canada's food supply
•Assessing the safety of new products or product uses
•Setting safety standards and developing science-based policies
•Conducting risk assessments
Nancy Hamzawi,
Assistant Deputy Minister Pam Aung Thin,
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister
As the COVID-19 pandemic continued through 2021, Health Canada worked to support the people of Canada with food and nutrition information, analysis and regulation to keep them safe and healthy.
In a time of increased stress, a safe, healthy and nutritious diet is more important than ever. The pandemic highlighted the importance of creating environments that support healthy eating to help decrease chronic diseases rates, as identified in our Healthy Eating Strategy. In 2021, we continued our work to promote Canada's food guide and developed additional materials to make it accessible and useful for people of different ages and backgrounds. It continues to be one of our most popular pieces of guidance.
Canada has one of the safest food supplies in the world, supported by the hard work of our food safety scientists. In 2021, we conducted scientific research and advanced key regulatory modernization initiatives to respond to innovation and new technologies while maintaining the safety of the food we eat.
Alfred Aziz,
Director General,
Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion Karen McIntyre,
Director General,
Food Directorate
Health Canada strives to create a supportive food environment for people in Canada. We do this by promoting healthy eating, assessing the health risks and benefits of food, and by developing policies, regulations, and guidelines as well as providing trusted information for the safety and nutritional quality of all food sold in Canada.
Health Canada's role is to protect people in Canada from risks to health and the spread of disease. We achieve this by using both preventative and responsive methods including:
•conducting health-risk assessments in support of food safety investigations;
•providing information about food safety;
•undertaking scientific research to identify, characterize and respond to new and emerging food safety risks;
•setting food safety standards and addressing emerging risks; and
•conducting food monitoring and surveillance.
Vitamin D fortification
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for bone health, and many other functions in the human body. Vitamin D occurs naturally in very few foods, namely eggs and fatty fish. Most dietary vitamin D is from fortified foods, such as milks, fortified plant-based beverages and margarine. Health Canada recognizes that it is challenging to consume the recommended amounts of vitamin D through the current food supply. To help improve the vitamin D intakes and bone health of people living in Canada, we have been working to expand vitamin D fortification of foods. As a first step, in December 2021, a marketing authorization came into force to permit increased vitamin D levels in cow's milk, goat's milk and margarine. As a next step, we plan to increase vitamin D levels of fortified plant-based beverages and permit the vitamin D fortification of yogurt. Over the coming years, Health Canada will monitor the impact of these changes on the vitamin D status of people in Canada through the Canadian Health Measures Survey. If necessary, we will consider allowing the addition of vitamin D to more foods in the future.
Monitoring the food environment
In September 2018, the prohibition of partially hydrogenated oil (PHO) came into effect to reduce industrially produced trans fats in the food supply to the lowest level possible in Canada. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends having less than one percent of total energy intake coming from trans fat. The prohibition will help achieve our public health objective of 90% or more of people in Canada meeting this WHO target. This is expected to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease among the general population. In order to determine the effectiveness of the prohibition, Health Canada researchers performed analyses to determine trans fat intakes and the blood levels of trans fat of people living in Canada before the prohibition came into effect, based on data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) – Nutrition 2015 and from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) 2012-2015, respectively. Figure 1: Percentage of the Canadian population that met the WHO recommendation before the PHO prohibition Figure 1: Text description All age and sex groups had average intakes of trans fat that met the WHO recommendation before the prohibition. In addition, the target of 90% of the population having total trans fat intakes that meet the WHO recommendation had already been achieved in most groups, except children 1-3 years old (Figure 1). Even though less than 90% of children in that age group had intakes that met the WHO recommendation, it is important to note that most of the trans fats they consumed were naturally occurring in food (e.g. cow milk). Furthermore, their proportion of trans fat intake coming from foods containing industrially produced trans fats was the lowest of all groups. The blood levels of trans fat of people living in Canada before the prohibition were similar for all age and sex groups. The levels observed have not been linked with increased cardiovascular disease risk. The relatively low intakes and blood levels of trans fats are likely due to previous initiatives to reduce trans fats in foods starting with labelling of the amount of trans fat on most pre-packaged foods, which became mandatory in 2007. These analyses will be repeated using data from future cycles of CHMS and CCHS for determining further improvement after the PHO prohibition. Health Canada scientists will be submitting these results for publication in scientific journals in 2022.
With factors such as growing populations, scientific advancements and climate change, the food system is continually evolving. This affects the way food is produced, processed, distributed, packaged, consumed and disposed of. As the food industry adapts and innovates, our traditional approaches to regulating food must evolve as well. Over time, our regulations have become difficult to navigate, understand and apply. Complex and outdated regulations make it challenging to respond to advances in science, technology or new product development. As a result, companies can face difficulties introducing new and innovative food products, or adopting new methods designed to make products safer or better for consumers. We are working to modernize our regulations so that they can accommodate the latest scientific or technological advances without lowering our safety standards. To support these efforts, we are also strengthening our communications to give people in Canada and the food industry the information they need about our requirements and processes. This includes making guidance we provide clearer and improving our consultation processes.
In 2021, we advanced several modernization initiatives in support of our Regulatory Innovation Agenda.
David K. Lee
Chief Regulatory Officer
"While some of our regulatory modernization efforts were delayed because of the pandemic, modernizing outdated food rules and frameworks continues to be a high priority for Health Canada. Our goal is to build a regulatory framework for food that can accommodate evolution and innovation in the Canadian and global food environment."
David K. Lee
An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease and these conditions are risk factors for COVID-19 severity and mortality in adults. While healthy eating is one of the best ways to protect and promote good health, a wide variety of factors influence our ability to make healthy food choices. Not only are our choices shaped by the food available in our homes, schools, restaurants and grocery stores, they are also influenced by social media and advertising. To help people in Canada make better choices, Health Canada developed a healthy eating strategy, which aims to make it easier to make healthier food choices by:
•improving the nutritional quality of foods;
•improving healthy eating information; and
•protecting populations considered vulnerable (pregnant women, children and people over the age of 65).
One of the tools used to promote our healthy eating strategy and give people in Canada healthy eating information is Canada's food guide.
Focus on…
Canada's food guide is the national authoritative resource on healthy advice and is widely integrated into policies and programs across the country. The 2019 food guide encourages people in Canada to eat a variety of nutritious foods each day, be mindful of eating habits, cook more often, and enjoy healthy food. It also encourages all sectors to ta...
Nutrition labelling
In 2016, Health Canada amended regulations to make improvements to the nutrition facts table and list of ingredients on food labels. These amendments make them easier to understand, thereby helping people in Canada make informed choices. The transition period for the 2016 nutrition labelling changes ended on December 14, 2021. However, given the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will focus its efforts on education and compliance promotion for the first year. As of December 15, 2022, until December 14, 2023, they will verify compliance and apply enforcement discretion in cases where non-compliant companies have detailed plans showing how they intend to meet the new requirements at the earliest possible time. However, based on food label data for over 6500 new products collected by Mintel in 2021, 69% had updated labels showing the new nutrition facts table. In June 2021, Health Canada also launched the Nutrition Labelling Online Course to provide information to health professionals and educators about nutrition labelling. Topics include food labelling in Canada, the nutrition facts table, the serving size, the % daily value, the list of ingredients and nutrition claims. This tool contains interactive content, quizzes, and ready-to-use resources activities. Completing this course will increase understanding of the latest nutrition labelling information and assist health care professionals share this information with people in Canada.
Amendments to Table of daily values and Table of reference amounts for foods
In June 2021, Health Canada published two Notices of Proposal to update the Table of Daily Values and Table of Reference Amounts for Foods. Health Canada proposed to update the Table of Daily Values by modifying the daily values of potassium and sodium for specific age groups to better align with the latest dietary reference intakes for these nutrients. The table sets out the reference points upon which the % daily values in the nutrition facts table are based. Health Canada also proposed amendments to the Table of Reference Amount for Foods based on new data and to address gaps in certain food categories. The Table sets out reference amounts for different food categories and provides detailed instructions on how to declare the serving size in the nutrition facts table. Publication of the Notices of Proposal was followed by a 75-day consultation period. Based on consultation feedback, Health Canada plans to finalise these amendments in 2022.
Monitoring food and beverage advertising to children
Food and beverage marketing is all around us and many of the foods and drinks that are frequently advertised contribute too much sodium, sugars, or saturated fat to our eating patterns. Health research has conclusively linked food advertising to children's food preferences, requests, purchases and eating behaviors, and can therefore be a key contributor to childhood obesity and chronic diseases. Throughout 2021, Health Canada continued to advance an evidence-based monitoring strategy. The collective results from planned and ongoing monitoring activities will provide invaluable data and information about the extent and nature of food advertising aimed at children in Canada. To support this work, we have developed strong partnerships with recognized subject matter experts in the field, and supported the collection of new data on the state of food advertising in a range of media and settings, including recreation facilities. Around 75% of children in Canada participate in organized sports, and many recreation facilities offer activities and events aimed at children. While recreation facilities are a great resource for parents to help children socialize and stay active, finding healthy food options can sometimes be challenging and food advertising is often found in this setting. This makes recreation facilities a critical area to monitor because they are a popular gathering place for children and because they can influence children's dietary intake. In January 2021, facility managers and directors of recreation centres were canvassed to learn more about food promotion in recreation facilities. The majority of respondents (89%) said that up to 75% of their visitors in the last year were children under 13 years old. The survey findings also suggest that many common activities (for example, facility food service contracts or sports team sponsorship) may result in children's exposure to food advertising in recreation facilities. In 2022, a second phase of this study will be launched, consisting of audits of recreation facilities to document food promotion on the ground. In last year's highlights report, we reported on how Health Canada has supported the expansion of the International Food Policy Study to include children and youth between the ages of 10 and 17 years. The study evaluates the impact of national-level food policies by conducting surveys across Canada, the United States, Australia, Chile, the United Kingdom and Mexico. Having data on this age group helps us assess how different factors or policies such as food advertising, the food guide, nutrition labelling, and the nutrition environment at schools influence the eating habits of children in Canada. The study found that among youth in Canada, about 70% of respondents reported seeing or hearing advertisements for certain food categories in 2020, particularly for fast food. Only about 25% reported seeing advertisements for fruit or vegetables. Supporting the survey in 2020 allowed us to observe a unique time in the lives of children and youth around the world, by comparing data from 2019 and 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, youth in Canada reported less exposure to food and beverage advertising potentially because of the pandemic. This finding was consistent across all countries surveyed. For youth in Canada, advertising exposure tended to occur in TV/movies, on websites/social media, and in stores. Cartoons/characters made by food companies were the most commonly reported marketing strategy for unhealthy food or drinks by youth in Canada. Figure 2: Percentage of youth in Canada seeing or hearing advertisements for certain food categories in 2019 & 2020 In the 30 days, how often did you see or hear advertisements for these kind of foods or drinks? % ≥ once per week Among all Canadian respondants (2019 N=3682; 2020 N=3897) Reference: Hammond D, White CM, Vanderlee L, Acton RB, Rynard VL, on behalf of the IFPS research team. International Food Policy Study Youth Survey: 6 Country 2020 Data Summary. November 2021. Figure 2: Text description The survey also indicated that youth awareness of Canada's food guide remains very high. Over 80% of youth in 2019 and 2020 reported learning about the food guide in school. A majority of respondents in 2020 reported making a special effort to follow food guide recommendations by drinking water, eating vegetables and fruits, and eating less sugar or fewer sugary drinks. Other positive trends include reported decreases in consumption of fast food and sugary drinks between 2019 and 2020, which may be a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and youth spending less time away from their homes. Ongoing participation in the survey will allow us to see whether these changes are temporary or carry over into future years. While these are all positive trends, the reported intake of fruits and vegetables remained low as youth reported eating fewer than two fruits or vegetables a day, which appears to be a consistent finding across all six countries surveyed. Focus on… Health Canada's Nutrition Science Advisory Committee Established in 2020, Health Canada's Nutrition Science Advisory Committee is a group of external expert advisors that provide scientific and technical advice on nutrition in a timely and independent manner. The committee held four meetings in 2021 and provided advice in several areas including emerging scientific trends that affect the nutritional health of people of Canada. This group of external expert advisors has provided us with scientific and technical advice on the evidence review cycle for dietary guidance, and "what" and "how" we can be more responsive in food and nutrition monitoring. The Nutrition Science Advisory Committee's advice will support Health Canada's efforts to use the best available evidence in fulfilling its mandate to support the nutritional health of people of Canada, and to support building a stronger food and monitoring infrastructure to understand new and emerging trends impacting the nutritional health of people in Canada.
The list of specific food colours permitted in Canada and their Corresponding European Numbers and/or United States Names.
Jan 22, 2019 · This report documents the processes and influences that shaped the development of Canada's food guides, the changes that occurred from the 1942 Official Food Rules to the 2007 Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide, and the strategies that were used to encourage Canadians to follow the guides.
Jan 22, 2019 · The new guide encourages Canadians to: Make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain and protein foods. Choose protein foods that come from plants more often and make water your drink of choice. Use food labels.
People also ask
Are colours allowed in food in Canada?
What is Canada's Food Guide?
What should Canadians eat a day?
What is Health Canada's New Food Guide?
Apr 28, 2020 · Canada’s Food Guide guides people to eat colourful, flavourful and wholesome food every day. The Food Guide is based on science and it tells us to be sure to eat food from three food groups to get the different nutrition our body needs to grow and stay healthy.
