fter 15 years of helping Canadians make healthy choices in grocery stores and restaurants, the Health Check program is winding down. When the program launched in 1999, Health Check was a leader in its field by identifying healthy choices with the red check mark logo on pack and by requiring those items to include nutrition information before this was mandated by the government. Much has changed in the past 15 years in the world of food and nutrition. There are more nutrition labelling programs both in grocery stores and restaurants and Canadian consumers are inundated with nutrition information at the point of purchase, in the media, and online. Because of this changing landscape, Health Check is no longer the right program for the time. The logo will start to disappear from grocery products and restaurant menus over the next few months during which time we will continue to support the program. The Health Check website will remain live for the next few months and we will remain active on social media. The Heart and Stroke Foundation remains committed to nutrition and empowering all Canadians and their families to eat a healthy diet. We will continue to provide healthy eating information through newsletters and e-tools, and on our website which includes recipes, tips and tools to support food preparation skills. We will also continue our advocacy work around nutrition and have directed new funding for innovative nutrition-focussed research.
