Public health in the news: Nutrition labelling and tracking government policies

This site is dependent upon you as readers for its success.  Today, items from three public health people speak to different issues nationally, a reflection of our collective concern for public health in Canada.   Please follow the site (click on lower right for following or lower left to have blog emailed to you).  Just as importantly, contribute issues of interest by contacting drphealth@gmail.com.   Or follow on Twitter @drphealth.   A recent spike in viewing from Russian colleagues is noted and appreciated.   Canadian viewers now make up only half of current views.


Three colleagues sent in material that appears relevant given recent themes on this site.

A website that tracks the federal government policy and shifting policies.  Welcome to TrackingHarper.ca

 It is perhaps an anti-government site, but given recent policy shifts away from supporting social and environmental programs, one may find it interesting.  The site is not user friendly, click on the achieves, then click on the posting name and then click on the posting after the date to get the detail about any particular policy issue.

A second message that was received comes from an article reported in the Vancouver Sun which speak to the misinformation on food labelling.  Vancouver Sun nutrition claims .  Perhaps a non-issue given the announced reduction in CFIA inspectors, such testing will unlikely be continued.   As the data were obtained under access to information legislation, they are not available on CFIA websites for public viewing, only through the interpretative eyes of intrepid reporters (thank goodness for excellence in journalism).

The labelling issues loosely links to a current effort by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest to push for nutrition information on restaurant menus  - begging the question that if food manufacturers don’t get the nutrition information right on their foods, how accurate will the information be on restaurant menu’s?