Government Announces Funding for Healthy Eating Initiative

Ottawa Journal (Ottawa Journal (April 02 – April 06, 2021)
David Tilson, MP

Our Government has been working hard to ensure Canadians are equipped with credible and easily accessible information to help make healthier food choices. We have done this through several initiatives and we’re continuing to do this by providing funding support for new activities as part of the nation-wide, multi-year Healthy Eating Awareness and Education Initiative.

The Healthy Eating Awareness and Education Initiative was created to promote healthy eating amongst Canadians by providing information on how they can improve their overall health, while decreasing their risk of obesity, hypertension, and other nutrition-related chronic diseases through healthy eating. The Initiative was launched in October 2010 with the Nutrition Facts Education Campaign. The Campaign’s focus is on assisting Canadian consumers in understanding how to use the Nutrition Facts table and the % Daily Value, in making informed food choices.

On February 27, 2012, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced that our Government will provide $4 million towards new activities for the Healthy Eating Awareness and Education Initiative. Minister Aglukkaq made the announcement during the Summit on Healthy Weights. This Summit is the culmination of the Our Health, Our Future national dialogue, developed by federal, provincial, and territorial governments, to receive input from citizens, communities, industry, and other stakeholders across the country, on ways to reduce childhood obesity and to promote healthy weights.

The next phase of the Healthy Eating Awareness and Education Initiative will focus on promoting healthy eating by encouraging Canadian consumers to reduce their intake of food and drinks high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium. Part of this effort is to highlight healthy eating habits, such as the consumption of more fruits and vegetables. This will be done through various outreach partnerships, social media engagement, and web tools. Furthermore, it will build on the successful collaboration this year with the Dieticians of Canada, EatRight Ontario, the British Columbia Ministry of Health, and provincial and territorial partners, to develop and communicate sodium-reduction messages to Canadians.

Canadians will be provided information on how to use Canada’s Food Guide by choosing the appropriate amount and types and foods at home, at the grocery store, and when dining out. The aim is also ensure this information is credible and consistent, no matter what part of the country Canadians live.

The Healthy Eating Awareness and Education Initiative is another way our Government is ensuring Canadians have credible and easily accessible information to make healthy food choices. The recent funding support provided by our Government to this Initiative will continue to build on these efforts to increase Canadians’ awareness and understanding of healthy eating habits and how overall health can be improved through healthy food choices.