Health Canada Approaches to Population Health Nutrition

Question 1

How many adults and children are overweight/obese in Canada?

Answer 1

Adults: 2/3
Children: 1/3

Question 2

How much money does obesity cost annually?

Answer 2

4.6 - 7.1 billion

Question 3

Name 4 reasons that make healthy choices difficult for Canadians.

Answer 3

1) Fast food is widespread
2) Conflicting messages
3) Marketing and kids is powerful
4) Trouble understanding information on labels

Question 4

Name the 4 people that share the responsibility of healthy eating.

Answer 4

Government, Industry, Health Intermediaries, Individuals

Question 5

What are the roles of Health Canada?

Answer 5

• Establishes food safety policy and standards
• Assesses the effectiveness of CFIA’s food safety activities
• Conducts health risk assessments in support of food safety investigations
• Informs Canadians about potential risks to their Health

Question 6

How does Health Canada promote healthy eating?

Answer 6

• Dietary recommendations
• Nutrition labelling and claims
• Public education
• Premarket Evaluation
• Nutrition Research

Question 7

What regulates food safety, composition, labelling and advertising?

Answer 7

Food and Drugs Act and Regulations

Question 8

What are the 4 current activities in Health Canada?

Answer 8

Trans fat, sodium, nutrition labelling, Canada’s Food Guide review

Question 9

What is the new minister of health committed to?

Answer 9

• Eliminating trans fats
• Reducing sodium
• New food labels
• Restrictions on marketing to children
• Expand the Nutrition North program

Question 10

What does the consumption of trans fat increase?

Answer 10

risk of coronary heart disease

Question 11

Where does most trans fat come from?

Answer 11

partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs)

Question 12

How has HC pursued trans fat reduction?

Answer 12

• Mandatory declaration of TF on labels
• Margarines not to exceed 2% of total fat
• Active monitoring, request for data on current uses of PHOs (in what, how much, why are they used?)

Question 13

What has the US revoked in terms of trans fat?

Answer 13

the GRAS status of PHOs

Question 14

How has the food supply improved in terms of trans fat?

Answer 14

2009: 75% meets target
2011: 97% meets target

Question 15

Which population groups eat more TFs?

Answer 15

• Kids + teens
• Canadians in remote areas
• Poor people

Question 16

How many Canadians have hypertension?

Answer 16

2 million

Question 17

What is hypertension a risk for?

Answer 17

stroke, heart and kidney disease

Question 18

What is the average intake of salt/d in Canada? What is the UL?

Answer 18

UL: 2300 mg/d

Intake avg: 3400 mg/d

Question 19

What are the sources of sodium and their percentages?

Answer 19

• Processed foods (77%)
• Naturally occurring (12%)
• Discretionary (11%)

Question 20

What does the expert sodium working group (SWG) recommend by the end of 2016?

Answer 20

Reduce sodium intakes to 2300 mg/d

• Education
• Voluntary reduction and food supply
• Monitoring

Question 21

What does HC suggest in terms of the new food label?

Answer 21

• Consistent serving sizes
• % DV of sugars
• Increased size of calories
• Nutrients that provide calories are listed together
• Sodium is moved closer to potassium
• Vit A and C are removed, potassium is added
• Quick rule (5% is less, 15% is a lot, is added)

Question 22

What does the HC suggest in terms of the ingredients?

Answer 22

Increased legibility

No Caps, and dots instead of commas

Question 23

What does HC aim for the new food labelling?

Answer 23

Aiming for Canada Gazette II by the end of 2016

Question 24

Why is Canada changing its food guide?

Answer 24

• To reflect the latest scientific evidence on diet and health
• To better support Canadians, including indigenous peoples, in
making healthy food choices

Question 25

What is part of the multi-year healthy Eating Strategy?

Answer 25

• Strengthening nutrition and ingredient labelling
• Reducing sodium in foods
• Eliminating industrially produced trans fat
• Restricting marketing to children
• Updating and expanding Nutrition North Canada

Question 26

What is the first step for the new food guide?

Answer 26

Public consultations (online)

Question 27

What is the importance of the CCHS nutrition data?

Answer 27

Critical tool for policy and program decision making

Question 28

What is the CCHS?

Answer 28

Canadian Community Health Survey

Question 29

How is food intake derived from databases?

Answer 29

CCHS

Question 30

How is food composition derived from databases?

Answer 30

• Canadian nutrient file
• Total Diet study
• Hypothetical targets
• Labels database

Question 31

What is the estimated nutrient intakes derived from?

Answer 31

food intakes + food composition

Question 32

What is the CNF?

Answer 32

• Canadian nutrient file
• Computerized national reference food composition database
• Supplies the average amounts of nutrients in foods available in Canada

Question 33

What is the CHMS?

Answer 33

• Canadian Health Measures Survey
• Household questionnaire in home
• Measures survey in mobile clinic (blood and urine biomarkers)

Question 34

What measures are included in the CHMS?

Answer 34

• Physical
• Blood measures (nutritional status, vitamin D, folate, B12)
• Urine measures (nutritional markers, iodine, sodium)