Whenever there's good and bad news people usually want to hear the bad first and end with good. With the recent release of the federal budget came both positive and negative for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and subsequent health of national consumers.
Prior to its release, the budget estimated a $21 million cut
for the CFIA. However when it was all said and done it was more like two and a
half times that original amount. One of
the major programs being introduced? A new online program for monitoring food
labels where by consumers send their concerns and comments directly to food
consumers. It's set to take the place of federal inspectors who previously
verified nutrition claims. This does leave reason for concern. So many food
products are confusing and misleading consumers. From this dietitian's
perspective, the problem is only getting worse. It reminds me of a CBC's
Marketplace episode earlier this year that illustrated 'lousy labels.' It
brought never-seen-before public spotlight to the issue (a great episode and I
highly encourage you to visit their archive if you missed it). One company in
particular was slammed for making false advertising that their processed meat
had 'natural ingredients' even though it contained nitrates or nitrites. The
catch? It was a naturally sourced
ingredient – i.e. cultured celery extract. Being a front line communicator of
food and nutrition information for the public, it seems I may have been a
target for their damage control. I received colourful information in the mail
from the specific company on 'What you should know about nitrate, nitrite and a
healthy balanced diet,' comparing the levels of these compounds in food from
processed meats to fruits and veggies, and other 'healthful' information was in
my mailbox not long after. It made me think a little more food policing could
certainly go a long way to clear confusion and ensure food companies include
health and clarity in their priorities.
It looks like people might now want to second guess some of the claim
information on labels which happens to be unregulated. It might be a bit of a
large task for the general public if you ask me, considering how would John Doe
know the difference between a statement that is regulated and one that is not?
With regard to the positive, last month, the Globe and Mail
highlighted how a food safety report released by the Conference Board of Canada
says rates of food-borne illnesses in Canada are higher than the United States.
Canadians suffer more often from more nasty bugs like Salmonella, E. Coli, and
Campylobacter than Americans, and according to the report half or more of the
cases are picked up in restaurants, cafeterias and other food-service
providers. So at first this doesn't sound like good news, but voices are being
heard. A key aspect of the 2012 federal Economic Action Plan was 'Strengthening
Food Safety.' The government is proposing to spend $51.2 million over the next
two years to continue measures to strengthen food safety systems. Comforting
yes, however this is national, so what about locally? Unfortunately it's not as
germ-free. In comparison to the other provinces and territories Newfoundland
and Labrador belongs in a small (unwashed) handful including PEI, Nunavut and
the Yukon which have a recommendation (but no requirement) for food safety
legislation. Of course restaurants and food establishments may be practising
safe food handling and food safety, but it remains at the moment that no one is
required to be trained in it. Provincially, there is a 'Food Safety Recognition
Program' where establishments are rewarded if the owner and at least one food
handler completes training, in addition to a clean inspection record over the
course of 12 months. The number of recognized food service establishments in
the province under the recognition program? Two. One in Burin, the other, Joe
Batt's Arm. Interestingly, under the
City of St. John's directory there are 4092 businesses alone listed as an eating
establishment.
As seen in The Telegram April 9, 2012
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