New healthy eating guidelines issued by the Canadian government do not include dairy.
Canada’s Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor launched the updated Food Guide, which is intended to help the country’s citizens to make the right dietary choices.
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The latest edition does away with many elements included in previous guides, such as food groups and serving sizes, but the move has angered the country’s dairy industry as the sector’s products have been overlooked.
In a statement after the guide was released, Isabelle Neiderer, director of nutrition & research at Dairy Farmers of Canada, said the updated Food Guide does not reflect the most recent and mounting scientific evidence available.
“The scientific evidence supporting the nutritional benefits of milk products in the promotion of bone health and prevention of chronic diseases, for instance, is stronger than ever, and new evidence continues to accumulate,” she said.
“Current and emerging scientific evidence does not support a continued focus on lower fat milk products as it reveals that milk products that contain more fat are not associated with harmful health effects and could even provide benefits.”
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By GlobalDataShe added: “Research continues to confirm that milk proteins rank as some of the highest quality available, but the nutritional benefits of milk products go far beyond their protein content.”
However, the move has pleased those who have long argued that the dairy and meat sectors have played too prominent a role in formulating the country’s health policies.
Dr Hasan Hutchinson, director general of Health Canada’s office of nutrition policy and promotion, said: “We were very clear that when we were looking at the evidence base that we were not going to be using reports that have been funded by industry as well.”
In the new guide Canadians are advised to fill half their plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with starches or grains and a quarter with protein.
But it has also faced criticism from the trade association representing the country’s processed food manufacturers for not keeping up with changing lifestyles.
Michi Furuya Chang, senior vice president, public policy & regulatory affairs at Food & Consumer Products of Canada, said in a statement: “Canadians should be limiting their intake of nutrients of concern, such as sodium, sugar and saturated fats. However, categorising food as ‘highly processed’ unfairly vilifies food that can be part of a healthy diet and that many Canadians rely upon as a convenient, affordable, safe and nutritious option.
“Food processing has an important place within Canada’s food system and will continue to supply safe, convenient and non-perishable foods. No stakeholder group has a greater role and impact on food environments than those within the food supply chain.”
