New food regulations not enough to help Canada's unhealthiest province: nutritionist

A nutritionist from Newfoundland and Labrador says Health Canada's announcement about changes to food marketing and labelling is a step in the right direction but shewould have liked the federal government to go evenfurther.

"There's no regulation on serving size. The company picks the serving size," says Tara Antle.

Health Canada announced the changes on Monday,in hopes ofhelping Canadians understand more about what they are eating.

• Health Minister JanePhilpottannounces new food labelling, marketing regulations

The new rules will require food companies to identify on the front label if a product is high or low in nutrients like sodium, sugar, and certain fats.

Unhealthy N.L.

Newfoundland and Labradortops national charts for obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

"Our province is known as one of the unhealthiest provinces in Canada," Antle said.

Antle said the lack of standards when it comes to food labels makes nutritional values misleading, and people don'tunderstand how much of certain nutrients they are consuming.

"They can manipulate the serving size to meet the criteria for what's recommended under each category on a food label," she said.

Antle said the federal government needs to standardize food labels.

Requiring a company to put a "high or low" notice on products might not make a difference to the actual contents of the food, Antle said, because it's easier for a company to change the recommended serving size than to revise their recipes.

That's a big problem for Newfoundland and Labrador, where diet-related health issues are rampant, she added.

The federal government plans to consult with health and nutritional specialists, as well food companies, before making any legislative changes.

Consultations will wrap up on Dec.8.