Health Canada is proposing regulations that would require ground beef and pork sold at retail stores to display a health warning label that clearly states the product is high in saturated fat..The government food regulator is likely to begin labelling store-bought products that contain elevated levels of saturated fats, sugars, or sodium..The beef industry is calling for the beef labelling to be exempt since it's one of two of the most affordable sources of protein not being granted exemptions..The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) issued a statement on its website..“Canadians consume approximately half of their calories from low nutrient, ultra-processed foods. By contrast, ground beef is a nutrient-dense protein that contributes iron, zinc, and vitamin B12. FOP labelling of whole, single-ingredient foods starkly contrast with the foundational principles of healthy eating and will distract from the real priority: Canadians need to reduce their consumption of ultra-processed foods,” the statement said..“Canadian farmers and ranchers produce high-quality, delicious and nutritious beef,” states Reg Schellenberg, CCA president..“We strongly oppose Health Canada’s proposed regulations and believe they send the wrong message to Canadians about whole, single ingredient foods.”.In an interview Sylvain Charlebois, senior director of the Agri-food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University said he believes the warning labels will deter people from buying the affected products..“I’m not sure it’s right,” Charlebois told The Sam Laprade Show on CityNews Ottawa Tuesday. “I mean, these products have been a part of our culinary day and age for centuries.”.Charlebois said Canada would be the first country to require warning labels on the front of single-ingredient products. He added dairy products have not been exempted from the labelling proposals despite having very similar saturated fat content..Member of Parliament for Foothills and shadow minister of Agriculture and Agri-food, John Barlow took to Twitter on Tuesday to express his dismay..“Canada is poised to become the first jurisdiction in the world to self-impose front-of-package labelling on ground beef and pork. This decision will undercut Canadian producers both domestically and abroad”, he tweeted..Barlow also shared a press release that represented his and the views of several Conservative Party peers on the proposals..He and Dave Epp, Conservative deputy shadow minister for Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Security, Richard Lehoux, Conservative deputy shadow minister for Agriculture, Agri-Food and Food Security called for ground beef and pork to be exempt from front-of-package labelling..“The Liberals are once again attacking the Canadian agriculture sector.… This decision will undercut Canadian producers both domestically and abroad. The United States has already identified this policy as a trade irritant potentially leading to fewer exports of Canadian beef. This would be a major hit to producers.”.“Mexico, Israel, and the EU have all exempted single ingredient whole-foods from front-of-package labelling under similar policies. Meanwhile, Health Canada will soon force beef and pork producers to put a warning label on their ground products as part of a new program. Despite other single-ingredient products like meats, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products being exempt from front-of-package labelling, Health Canada is deliberately targeting ground beef and pork as an ‘unhealthy’ source of protein for Canadians, the release said..“It doesn’t make sense if roast beef and whole hams are exempt, but the same source of protein is no longer acceptable after being ground.”.The Western Standard reached out to Barlow’s constituency office for further comment but Barlow was unavailable.
