Originally published February 5 2006
Canadian nutritionist believes new food labels will help consumers get healthier
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Nutritionist Gail Spearey sits down with Canada.com to pore over the benefits of a new food labeling act that informs consumers about the ingredients in their food, which most experts agree will encourage healthy eating habits.
Health conscious Canadians can now check out the amount of trans fat in packaged foods, due to new mandatory labelling regulations that went into effect Dec. 15.
The U.S. will follow shortly, with new food labels as of Jan.1.
According to nutritionist Gail Spearey, they are.
"I think so, definitely, because trans fat can have bad effects on coronary disease," Spearey said.
Concerns about trans fat date back to the '80s, but most consumers were not aware of the issue.
Spearey said she looks for foods with zero trans fat.
"If I see zero trans fat, I'm going to pick it up."
Although some labels may list zero trans fat, Health Canada regulations state that any product containing 0.2 grams of trans fat or less can list zero trans fat on the nutrition label.
The Leger Marketing survey, conducted in September of this year, found that 62 per cent of respondents have made changes to their diet to help eliminate trans fats.
Spearey said consumers are concerned about trans fats because it is known to have harmful health effects.
"It's not very good for the arteries or the heart," Spearey said.
"For the consumer, I think it's a healthier way to go."
Spearey gives free grocery shopping tours for anyone who is interested.
She said in her last tour down the chips aisle, a man asked her, "What's trans fat?
"People are concerned with it for health reasons," Spearey said.
Ruth Robinson, co-president of the Consumers Association in Saskatchewan, says the new food labels are a big step for consumers who are concerned about the products they buy.
"They are getting a full picture," Robinson said.
Robinson said the labels are especially helpful for people who have health problems, such as diabetes or osteoporosis.
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