New proposals for the labelling of ground beef and pork have been met with disdain from Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development Minister Nate Horner and Health Minister Jason Copping..The ministers, who spoke at a Monday press conference, were responding to Health Canada's recently announcement that it intends to force producers of ground beef and pork to label products with a saturated fat health warning..Horner said his government would be asking Health Canada to exempt the one-ingredient ground beef and pork protein products from the labelling requirement since they provide a healthy, unprocessed, and affordable staple option for Canadians..“Alberta livestock producer associations have requested an exemption from proposed federal labelling requirements for ground meats, similar to exemptions being offered for other nutritious, single-ingredient foods like milk, eggs, vegetables and other meats. Alberta’s government supports this exemption," Horner said..“Ground meat, like other whole foods, is a healthy and affordable staple in the diet of many Canadians. Ottawa’s scientifically baseless labelling proposal for ground meat will unfairly affect families struggling with high costs of living and would be an extra kick to producers already working to get back on their feet.".“We are working closely with the Alberta Beef Producers, the Alberta Cattle Feeders Association, and Alberta Pork to support these industries. Alberta’s government has expressed [its] concern to our federal counterparts and will continue to stand up for livestock producers in our province,” she said..According to the regulatory proposal published in Canada Gazette, exemptions to the labelling legislation occur when:.• the food is already exempt from displaying a nutrition facts table. Examples include raw whole cuts of meat (not including ground meat) and foods sold at farmers’ markets;.• there is evidence the food provides a protective effect on health. Examples include fruits and vegetables without added saturated fat, sugars, or sodium; whole and 2% milk; and most vegetable oils such as canola and olive oil, and.• the information in the symbol would be redundant. Examples include sweetening agents such as table sugar, honey and maple syrup, as well as table and flavoured salts (e.g., garlic salt, onion salt)..Alberta Beef Producers Chair Melanie Wowk added a producer's perspective on the issue.."It's my understanding these labels are designed to help consumers make healthy eating decisions at the grocery store... Labelling ground beef and affordable, nutritious, and versatile protein — and a staple food for most Canadians — is misleading and does not make sense," Wowk said.."Alberta beef is an extremely sought-after protein," she continued. "And almost 50% of the beef consumed in Canada is ground beef-formed. Yet Health Canada intends to place a warning label on a product that is consumed by more than 90% of Canadians and will minimize its nutritional benefits by oversimplifying it with a high-end saturated fat label."."We are navigating legitimate fears about global food security, [price] inflation, and prices. Canada will be the only jurisdiction in the world placing a health warning label on its ground beef. Alberta farmers and ranchers are struggling right now. And our federal government should be supporting our industry in the middle of a global food shortage, not working against it," she said..Health Canada offered some clarification on the federal government's website..“Not all ground meat will require the FOP nutrition symbol,” reads a Health Canada release. “There are options within the ground meat category that are lower in saturated fat and would not be required to carry the FOP symbol, e.g., extra lean ground pork or extra lean ground beef with 5% or less of its weight as total fat.”.Minister of Health Jason Copping extolled the virtues of ground beef and suggested Health Canada's proposals are short-sighted and formulated without due process.."A healthy diet emphasizing whole foods is part of the foundation of overall health. Ground beef and pork are whole foods, rich in nutrients and still relatively affordable despite global increases in food prices."."This decision was made without consultation with the provinces, which have equivalent expertise in nutrition and food science to that of the federal government. It’s inconsistent with the treatment of other products; it’s not good policy, and it should be reversed," Copping said..Proponents of whole foods like ground beef have a number of problems with the labelling changes — from minimizing the nutritional benefits with an oversimplified label and the prospect of export and trade complications..Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, the scientific director of the Canadian Agri-Food Foresight Institute, said that part of the plan is a “head-scratcher.”."In a few months from now, ground beef and pork, two unprocessed, natural, and affordable animal protein sources which many consumers eat every day, will be labelled as having too much saturated fat,” he tweeted.
