The government of Saskatchewan, the NDP opposition, and Saskatchewan cattle producers agree on one thing: they oppose a Health Canada proposal to put a high saturated fat label on ground beef..The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA), Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA), Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association (SCFA), and the Saskatchewan Government have issued a joint press release calling for all beef to be exempted from the warning label..“A proposed front-of-package labelling requirement for ground beef serves no beneficial purpose and will have several negative impacts on our industry,” Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit said. .“Other countries and major trading partners have exempted ground meat products from FOP labelling requirements. Moving forward with mandatory FOP labelling for ground meat has potential to impact Canada’s ground meat products destined for export markets.”.Saskatchewan Health Minister Paul Merriman agreed..“Front of package labelling of whole, single-ingredient foods contradicts the foundational principles of healthy eating and will distract from the real nutrition priority; reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods,” Merriman said in the release..Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association President Will Lowe weighed in, saying:“It’s unfortunate that beef is being singled out by this campaign. Ground beef is a nutrient dense, single ingredient product that provides consumers with an endless variety of options for making healthy meals at home. .“This type of labelling will not help consumers make better choices in the grocery store which is, I believe, what government was trying to achieve.”.Garner Deobald, president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, urged the federal government to scrap the “discriminatory policy” and predicted it would “negatively impact consumers' purchasing decisions.”.“The recommended serving size of ground beef … contains 23 grams of protein and 14 essential nutrients. Warning labels and symbols should be reserved for products that are dangerous or unsafe,” Deobald said..Arnold Balicki, chair of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association, agreed beef is nutritious, adding, “It is a food source that many consumers rely on to feed their families. Health Canada is not sending the right message to consumers.”.The June 20 statement came five days after joint opposition to the policy was expressed by Official Opposition Agriculture Critics in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba—all of whom are NDP..Edmonton MLA Heather Sweet, Regina Rosemont MLA Trent Wotherspoon, and Burrows MLA Diljeet Brar signed a joint letter to Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and Federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau..“We write collectively, on behalf of the prairie Official Opposition parties, to request that the federal government include an exemption to front-of-package labelling for ground beef and pork products, as every other jurisdiction internationally has done. .“Canadians across the prairie provinces are mindful that the current exemptions for front-of-package labeling are not grounded in common standards. Exemptions, for example, have been given to the dairy industry.”.The letter cited Dalhousie Food Professor Sylvain Charlebois who noted the warning threshold for saturated fat only applied to raw beef, implying the cooked product had less..“Any thoughtful and productive front-of-package labelling strategy must consider how Canadians truly consume products,” the MLAs wrote..“While we support the policy objective of improving Canadians’ access to nutritional information through front-of-package labelling, we are deeply concerned that these objectives are not met thoughtfully by your government.”.The ag critics called on the government to “press pause” on the proposal and “undertake additional confrontations,” adding times of high food inflation were the worst time to target beef and pork industries..“Canadians should not be incorrectly informed by their government that ground beef and pork, a reliable and cost effective source of protein, is unhealthy,” they said..“The decision to compel front-of-package labelling for ground beef and pork is not final. You have the power to listen, and change direction..“We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to reconsider.”
