Health Canada has introduced new nutrition labelling regulations for many of the foods you buy.  Better information on food labels will help you when grocery shopping.  Another tool that will guide you through the grocery store is the Health Check logo.   When you see the logo on food packaging you know you are making a healthy choice.

Food manufacturers are required to put certain information about their products on the label. The nutrition label gives you a snapshot of the food's nutrition value.  It helps you compare similar products and make informed choices about the foods you buy.

Manufacturers are required to list all ingredients found in the product beginning with the ingredient used most.  For example, if a label lists the ingredients as whole wheat flour, sugar and hydrogenated vegetable oil, then you know the largest single ingredient is whole wheat flour, followed by sugar, then vegetable oil.

•  Fats: can be listed as fat, lard, shortening, oils (palm, coconut, hydrogenated vegetable), monoglycerides, diglycerides, or tallow.
•  Sugars: can be listed as sugar, honey, molasses, or anything that ends in "ose" (dextrose, sucrose, fructose, maltose, lactose).
•  Salts: can be listed as salt, MSG, sodium, baking soda, baking powder, brine, kelp, or soy sauce.
•  Quantity: The ingredient list does not provide amounts, so look for the   Nutrition Facts table for more details.

Under mandatory nutrition labelling, a Nutrition Facts table including calories and 13 core nutrients must be included on most pre-packaged foods.   These core nutrients are fat, saturated and trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.  This information will be presented in a standard format making it easier to find and use.

Some food and beverages will not have to carry this information.  Examples include fresh fruit and vegetables and single ingredient meat and poultry that are not ground.

• Servings: The table provides information about nutritional content which is based on a very specific amount of food.  Be sure to check the serving size since it can differ from product to product and compare it to the amount you eat.
• Nutrient Values: Values listed for the 13 nutrients are for the amount of the nutrient in the specified quantity of food.
• % Daily Values: They are based on recommendations for a healthy diet.  It will help you understand what the nutrient values mean.  If a food contains 240 mg of sodium and the Daily Value for sodium of 2400 mg, then this food is providing 10% of this amount.
• More or less of a nutrient: Use the table as a guide for nutrients you are trying to increase (e.g. fibre, vitamins A and C, calcium, iron) or trying to decrease (e.g. saturated + trans fats, cholesterol, sodium).
• Fat: Look under Fat and note the amount of saturated and trans fat in the food and try to keep this type to a minimum.
• Fibre: Look under "Carbohydrates".  Choose foods with 2 grams or more of fibre per serving.  Foods with more than 6 grams are very high sources of fibre.
• Salt: Look for sodium in milligrams (mg).  The % Daily Value will help you understand if this food has a little or a lot of sodium.
• Sugar: Sugar adds flavour and taste but is also a source of calories.  There is no % Daily Value for sugar because Health Canada's Nutrition Recommendations don't recommend a specific amount of sugar.  The table gives the content of sugars from all sources (naturally occurring sugars plus added sugars, if any).  To know whether sugars have been added, look at the ingredient list for ingredients such as corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, malt syrup, invert sugar and others.

Manufacturers may also make Nutrient Content Claims about their product.  A claim highlights a nutrition feature of a food.  These claims are clearly defined in the new Health Canada regulations.  All products using claims must follow the exact conditions outlined in the regulations including specific criteria and wording.

• Nutrient Content Claims on a food package: If you see a Nutrient Content Claim on a food package, remember to also look at the Nutrition Facts table.  These claims usually only highlight one nutrient of a food, and are optional.
• Popular claims: Look for one of these words if you want to know whether a food has a nutrition claim: low, less, reduced or lower, more, very high, light/lite, source of, good or high source of, excellent or very high source of.

 

Four Health Claims have been introduced to highlight a relationship between diet and certain diseases.   These are based on health and scientific criteria.  In order to include a health claim on a food package, the food company must make sure that the food meets the established criteria for that claim.  Here are the four permitted health claims:

• A diet low in saturated fat and trans fat reduces risk of heart disease.
• A diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D, and regular physical activity reduces risk of osteoporosis.
• A diet rich in vegetables and fruit reduces risk of some types of cancer.
• A diet low in sodium and high in potassium reduces risk of high blood pressure.

• Health Claims on a food package: Remember to also look at the Nutrition Facts Table.  While a health claim may help reduce one disease, the same food could be high in another nutrient that you may want to be cautious about.
• Health Claims are voluntary: A food company can choose whether or not to include a health claim if their product meets the established criteria.

Health Check is a food information program developed and run by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.  It is a simple tool designed to make it easier for you to make wise food choices when grocery shopping.

Foods that display the Health Check logo meet specific nutrient criteria to ensure they are part of a healthy diet.  There are different criteria for different food categories, depending on the important nutrient components of each food.  For example, the criteria for bread focus on fat and fibre, while the criteria for milk products focus on fat and calcium.  In a number of food categories, such as plain vegetables and fruit (fresh and frozen), all foods fit.

Look for the Health Check logo on food products in your grocery store.

Tips for understanding Health Check

• Canada's Food Guide: Health Check is based on Canada's Food Guide and promotes healthy eating in general, not just heart-healthy eating.
• Displaying the Health Check logo: Every food in the program (and the list continues to grow) displays the Health Check logo, the explanatory message telling you how the food is part of healthy eating and the Nutrition Facts table, which provides more details.
• Variety: Look for the Health Check logo on a variety of foods from each food group.