Canada planning next food guide

Food & Drink Weekly, May 23, 2005

The next version of Canada's Food Guide will reflect the evolving cultural profile of the country, from ethnic diversity and the aging population to changing family structure and increased home and work pressures, Health Canada says. "The multicultural makeup of Canada is rich and diverse," Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh said last week in announcing plans for the revised guide, due out next spring. "As such, revisions to Canada's Food Guide will need to embrace the variety and depth of foods available to Canadians." The aim of the new guide, which replaces the current version written in 1992, is to provide "all Canadians with a vast array of food selections that broadens and enhances their healthy food choices," Dosanjh said in a release.

Health Canada is consulting with dietitians, nutritionists and consumer, health promotion and food industry groups to cook up new ways to make the Food Guide more palatable for all Canadians, no matter their cultural or language background, age or social environment. "Depending on what cultural group that you choose, the pictures might be quite different to reflect the kinds of food that they access and incorporate as part of their dietary pattern, " said Mary Bush, director general of Health Canada's office of nutrition policy and promotion.

Bush said word usage in the current version has also stimulated much food for thought. "We've heard that Canadians have trouble right now with the language that we're using in the Food Guide. We say 'moderation' and they say to us, 'What does that mean? ' " There's also confusion over what constitutes a serving size and how many servings a person should eat per day. For instance, a slice of bread would account for one of the six to 12 servings of grain products that should be consumed daily, but a bagel would count for two.