Food First NL hopes for a say in new federal food guide

The federal government is cooking up a new recipe for Canada's Food Guide, and groups in Newfoundland and Labrador hope to have an active role in developing the new document.

Kristie Jameson, executive director of Food First NL, says the guide has a significant mandate in keeping Canadians eating healthy foods.

"The Food Guide really is this foundational document that is used to guide and inform the work by teachers, doctors, health practioners in supporting and encouraging healthy eating of people across the country," she told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.

Jameson said the food guide, which hasn't been updated since 2007, has a number of issues heard across the country.

The guide can be confusing and encourages eating large amounts of food to get the right vitamins and minerals.

"A lot of it is rooted in people eating certain serving sizes, and those serving sizes may not be the same as what you would intuitively​ think is a serving size of different products," she said.

3 guiding principles

Jameson said Health Canada is looking at three guiding principles for improving the food guide.

"The first of the guiding principles is really around a healthy diet as being based in eating a variety of nutritious foods, the second principle is that processed and prepared foods or beverages that are high in sugar or salt, saturated fats — those are undermining healthy eating."

The third, she said, is about knowledge and skill.

"We're living in this complex food environment, we're seeing lots of advertising and claims about what we should be consuming. It takes knowledge and skills for people to maintain a healthy diet."

The new guide will inform the work of many groups, including Food First NL, as well as federal and provincial policy, and Jameson said it's essential the food guide work effectively for all Canadians.

"It's important for it to be useful when you're living in a smaller outport community where you don't necessarily have the greatest access to fresh vegetables, fresh fruit," she said.

"But, also making sure that it connects with some of the traditional food ways across this province of eating from the land and sea."

Jameson said the new guide will likely be released in early 2018, and there could be different iterations aimed at groups with different needs.

"You may see things that are particularly targeting parents with young children, or kids, or seniors or indigenous groups, etcetera."

Consultations are part of the ongoing process of developing the new version of Canada's Food Guide, and an online survey is available until August 14.