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Responses to Health Canada
Response to Health Canada’s Position Paper on Diet-Related Health Claims
Because of our common nutrition and health concerns, the Canadian Diabetes Association, Dietitians of Canada, and the Heart And Stroke Foundation of Canada submitted a joint response to Health Canada. The response emphasized the fact that health claims should give consumers useful information to assist them in making healthy food choices.
Reinstatement of Saccharin as an Artificial Sweetener
The Canadian Diabetes Association collaborated with Dietitians of Canada to provide a response to Health Canada on the proposed reinstatement of saccharin as an artificial sweetener in specific food products.
Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating
Health Canada has been working on revisions to its Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating for some time. In 2004, it issued its Healthy Living: Canada’s Guide to Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. In 2006, formal responses to several proposed drafts of the new guide were offered. Enclosed below is the Association’s response to the drafts in March, 2006.
Nutrition Surveillance letter
In the federal budget tabled in the House of Commons in February, 2003, Statistics Canada and Health Canada received on-going funding for the continuation of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). In addition, funding has been provided through the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) to enable a physical measures survey component. This funding will supply the foundation on which to build a national Food and Nutrition Surveillance System. The National Nutrition Committee sent a letter of congratulations to Health Minister, Anne MacLellan.
Letter to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) had sought input on the issue of highlighted ingredients (eg. strawberry flavoured vs strawberry dessert). The Nutrition Labelling Subcommittee of the National Nutrition committee responded on behalf of the Association.
Canadian Diabetes Association Response to Health Canada’s Policy Review on the Discretionary Addition of Vitamins and Minerals to Food
In late 2002, Health Canada released a document entitled Addition of Vitamins and Minerals: Policy Review and Implementation . This document was intended to provoke discussion and comment. Responses to the proposed policy were invited. The Association’s response follows.
Canadian Diabetes Association’s response to the Nutrition Labelling and Claims Regulatory Proposal
published in Canada Gazette, Part I on June 16th, 2002
Health Canada published its Nutrition Labelling and Claims Regulatory Proposal in Canada Gazette, Part I on June 16, 2001. Health Canada has suggested that this proposal will provide an integrated package of information about the nutritional attributes of food, provided at point of purchase, to help consumers in making food choices that will enhance health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes.
A ninety day comment period followed the publication of Gazette I, in which all those interested in this proposal and its possible effect on the health of Canadians were invited to respond to Health Canada. The Labelling Subcommittee of the National Nutrition Committee responded on behalf of the Canadian Diabetes Association. This response follows: