For Health Canada, some saturated fats more equal than others

Health Canada is likely going forward with a policy requiring front-of-package nutrition symbols on foods high in saturated fat, sugars and sodium

It’s a concept that will provide clear, easy-to-read labels, but one part of the plan is a head scratcher.

The threshold Health Canada intends to apply is quite simple. For prepared food or processed foods, and foods intended solely for children 1-4, it’s 15 per cent of daily values. This means that if a product’s serving exceeds 15 per cent of the maximum daily allowance for saturated fat, sugar or sodium, a label will be predominantly placed on the package for the consumer to see. For prepackaged meals and dishes, the threshold is 30 per cent.

On the face of it, the policy appears to make sense. It’s hard to argue against more transparency and, as a result, better health. Where things get murky is with the list of exemptions.

“Discriminating against these two products despite exemptions is likely driven by elitist nutritional ideologies fostered by some out-of-touch bureaucrats“

 

Products at farmers markets, anything not sold directly to consumers, non-processed raw single-ingredient meat and fish products, all dairy and eggs will be exempt from this policy. The list includes technical, practical and health-related exemptions, with 16 categories in total.

What’s surprising, though, is that ground beef and pork are not exempt. This means that in a few months, ground beef and pork, two unprocessed, natural and affordable animal protein sources that many consumers eat every day, will be labelled as having too much saturated fat. Meanwhile, dairy products, which arguably contain at least as much saturated fat, are exempt.

Some sources say the incredibly powerful dairy lobby provided enough evidence and scientific data to Health Canada to suggest that saturated fats found in dairy products are different and healthier. That may be the case, but Health Canada certainly has some explaining to do, considering how it butchered dairy products with the latest food guide, released a few years ago. The lack of consistency is mind blowing.

In addition, beef and pork exceed thresholds set by Health Canada when products are raw, not cooked. However, few will eat these products raw. When cooked, saturated fat levels are normally below the Health Canada threshold.

What is critical is protein affordability. While retail prices for beef and pork specialty cuts have skyrocketed, ground beef and pork have been relatively affordable, and almost 50 per cent of beef consumed in Canada is ground beef.

Discriminating against these two products despite exemptions is likely driven by elitist nutritional ideologies fostered by some out-of-touch bureaucrats. It often feels as though Ottawa wants to save consumers from themselves. Such a narrative might go over well in Ottawa, but not so much at the average kitchen table.

The beef and pork industries are not only important to the economy, those sectors are part of many traditions and are embedded in our culinary DNA. As we try to figure out how to lead healthier lifestyles, warning Canadians that these unprocessed food staples are now dangerous to their health doesn’t make sense. Dietary recommendations, like most things, should be applied in moderation.

Canada would become one of the first countries in the world to have a front-of-package policy targeting single-ingredient products. Other countries before Canada with this type of labelling have not required them for single-ingredient products.

At the core of the policy is the intent to help consumers make better, healthier choices at the grocery store, particularly when processed foods are involved. Requiring ground beef and pork to be labelled suggests that the spirit of the policy got lost.

Health Canada is purposefully aiming at two important food staples that people have been consuming for centuries. Such a move makes no sense. These products need to be exempt from front-of-package labelling rules.

Sylvain Charlebois is professor in food distribution and policy, and senior director of the AgriFood Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University.