Community Call-out, “There is too much salt in cheap foods imported into Canada.”

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“Do your best Simone. Some people like to tell you that you are watching too much TV or reading too much fiction. But, it is a far-reaching secret project of White intelligence organizations to prevent Blacks and coloured people from ever becoming equal.” Concerned Citizen

The story that I am about to present is not pleasant, but the fact that members of the African-Caribbean Community are reaching out to me to speak out against the many atrocities that are faced by Africans in the diaspora is amazing, and I am honoured. I want to take this time to thank this young lady for bringing the upcoming story to my attention. Kudos!

In her email, she expressed her disappointment about the food that is being shelved in areas where there are large numbers of underprivileged people of colour, especially children who are cash-strapped, and just trying to survive. “If there are no regulations to deal with complaints on behalf of the children of Canada, like this one,” she shares. “Way too much salt in cheap foods imported into Canada by Dollar Stores and Walmart Canada, will continue. This product is on the shelves of Walmart Canada, on Jane Street at Lawrence Ave.”

Healthcare in Canada cannot afford any more expenses arising from our government not doing their jobs!

The product that she is talking about is canned ham (Mario’s Canned Ham), and it is unbelievable that poor Canadian children and/or poor adults are forced to consume this product simply because it is cheap and affordable to them. The Manufacturing date is marked as: 2021-10-11 with Expiry Date as: 2026-10-11 – what preservatives have been added to keep cooked ham shipped from Denmark to Canada good for so long?

Is government interested in checking what chemicals are put into foods that the poor buy?

Is Health Canada only interested in foods the upper echelons of society are buying in this country?

I received a follow-up email sharing that Health Canada had taken some steps, one that is lowering sodium levels in the foods that they produce through voluntary initiatives. One regulatory approach that has been proposed is to require a symbol on the front of food packages that will help consumers identify pre-packaged foods that are high in sodium, sugars, and/or saturated fats. The intent is that food manufacturers will reformulate their foods to be lower in sodium, sugar, and/or saturated fats so that they don’t have to label a food with this symbol. This will further push manufacturers to look for ways to reduce sodium in the foods that they produce.

They are apparently also addressing sodium levels in foods that are sold in restaurant and food service establishments. They are currently going through the process of setting voluntary sodium reduction targets to encourage food service and restaurant operators to reduce sodium levels in products that they sell.

Health Canada is encouraging food patrons to take action and to continue follow-up directly with restaurants to voice your concern over the high sodium levels in their foods to demonstrate that there is consumer demand for lower sodium food. Doing this will raise awareness to the operators of these restaurants and hopefully push them to make changes to their recipes.

As you know, too much sodium (salt) in the diet can lead to high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease.  These cardiovascular diseases run rampant in the African-Caribbean community, and Canadians consume more than double the amount of sodium that is considered healthy. What you may not know is that about three-quarters of the sodium in the diet of Canadians come from processed food.

Reducing sodium in foods is critical to protecting the health of Canadians. To help Canadians improve their health, Health Canada launched the Healthy Eating Strategy (https://www.canada.ca/en/services/health/campaigns/vision-healthy-canada/healthy-eating.html) in October 2016, which includes initiatives for revising Canada’s Food Guide, strengthening nutrition labelling, and reducing sodium in foods. In 2012, Health Canada established reduction targets for processed foods to be reached before the end of 2016.

A report entitled “Sodium Reduction in Processed Foods in Canada,” published in January 2018, presents the evolution of the food industry’s progress. The results showed that the reduction was limited and that most food categories had not reached the established targets. Health Canada also released a report “Sodium Intake of Canadians in 2017.” It reveals that Canadians consume an average of 2,760 milligrams of sodium each day, which is nearly double the recommended daily intake.

We, as citizens of Canada, have the power to take control of our dietary needs. One way is to join a stakeholder engagement registry. This tool gives citizens of Canada the ability to identify the areas on which they want to be consulted by Health Canada (e.g. Food Safety and Nutrition) as well as in the level of interaction they wish to have. To create your own profile in the registry, or for more information, please visit:

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/public-consult/stakeholder-intervenants/index-eng.php.