Children's Health & Nutrition Initiative:
Backgrounder
(click on a subject line below )
Why do We Need Change?
Children's Diets and Health
Consequences of Poor Diet
Cost of Poor Diet
What are We Already Doing?
What are We Proposing?
Who will Benefit?
Summary of Cost
Canada's Right to Food Commitments
What are Other Jurisdictions Doing?
Why do We Need Change?
Too many of the influences on children's
diets are now out of line with healthy
eating. Social, economic, cultural and
environmental factors at the household,
neighbourhood, regional and national
levels combine to infl uence, yet many
children's diets are poor and dietrelated
outcomes such as obesity, Type
2 diabetes, hypertension and high
cholesterol are rising among Canada's
children. The dramatic changes to our
food system over the last century have
resulted in an abundant food
supply but much of it is dominated
by processed foods high in salt,
sugar and/or fat. The media
environment can also have an
enormous infl uence on children's
eating, often undermining family infl uences. Food marketing to
children is now more intense
than ever and has been found to infl uence eating habits in favour of calorie-dense, nutrient-poor
foods. Efforts have been made to improve nutrition
education in schools and in the media, yet too many
children and parents are still confused about what
food choices are best for a healthy body and mind,
as well as for a healthy planet.
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Children's Diets and Health
Relative to other countries, Canada's children are doing
better than many. But given this country's tremendous
wealth and our future challenges, many trends are worrisome.
More than seven out of 10 children don't eat
the recommended daily minimum of fi ve servings of
vegetables and fruit. More than a fifth of total calories
consumed by 4-18 year olds come from the "other
foods" category (typically foods high in sugar, fat
and/or salt). A quarter of Grade 4 students and almost
half of Grade 8 girls don't eat breakfast every day.
Type 2 diabetes and risk factors for chronic disease
such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia have
increased among children. Overweight and obesity doubled among 6-17 year
olds between 1979 and 2004 and obesity tripled
among Canadian teens. Many of these outcomes also
disproportionately affect children from low income
families.
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Consequences of Poor Diet
Unhealthy eating habits during childhood can interfere
with optimal growth and development while setting the
stage for poor eating habits during adulthood and begin
to increase risks for premature death and disability
due to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain forms
of cancer and other illnesses. Poor nutrition has
also been linked to low academic
performance, classroom behaviour
problems and low self-esteem.
Cost of Poor Diet
Total health care spending was
$4,548 per capita in 2006, with
more than two thirds of direct
health care costs being expended
on chronic diseases. Health Canada estimates that dietrelated
cases of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and
certain forms of cancer among adults rob the national
economy of $6.6 billion annually due to health care
costs and lost productivity.
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What are We Already Doing?
Children's nutrition programs are already available in
many parts of the country. Assistance is provided to
some children, but not all, and the continuation of these
efforts is subject to fundraising and volunteer time.
Canada is one of the few developed countries without
a nationally funded child nutrition program. There are
also no national nutrition guidelines for children's food
in schools, community centres or vending machines.
Food marketing to children is regulated by the industry
itself and its self-imposed code provides little protection
for children's nutrition or health. Governments,
communities, businesses and parents in this country all
need to take up the challenge to create environments
that support optimal child health.
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What are We Proposing?
The Children's Health and Nutrition Initiative (CHNI) seeks
to build a broad-based coalition of diverse stakeholders that
are passionate about Canada becoming a world leader in
making safe and healthy food available to all children and
reshaping social, cultural, economic and environmental
influences to optimally support child health. As a first
step, the Initiative calls for a nutritious breakfast, snack or
lunch to be available to any Canadian child under eighteen
years of age in the form of nutritious food programs. This
would be based on a flexible made-in-Canada community
development model building on the existing knowledge base
of local organizations and parent groups.
Funding support
would be provided by the Federal government to expand preexisting
programs
and build efforts
in parts of Canada
where independent
programs aren't in
place. Programs
would be created
and managed
locally by parents,
educators, public
health and local
government representatives
to meet the needs
of local children
and families. The
Federal government will be required to develop national
program standards for healthy foods, with an emphasis
on nutrition education, cooking and growing skills,
and inclusion of locally and sustainably sourced foods.
Long-term monitoring and evaluation of standards and
implementation will also be critical.
The second component of the Initiative calls for innovative
ways to protect children from manipulative marketing
messages that encourage poor nutritional habits, relying on
the best examples from other jurisdictions. For example, all
commercial advertising directed at children under the age
of 13 years has been prohibited by the Consumer Protection
Act in Quebec since 1980.
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Who will Benefit?
The Initiative will promote healthy eating habits in
childhood, providing life long benefi ts for all Canadian
children and play a role in reducing overweight/
obesity, Type 2 diabetes and early onset of risk factors
for chronic disease such as hypertension and high
cholesterol. Healthier children grow up to be healthier
adults, thus helping to relieve the financial strain on
Medicare. The Initiative will provide critical support
to food insecure families, especially in those regions
of the country where independently run programs don't
currently exist. Research has repeatedly shown that
these households are disproportionately affected by
poor health, social isolation and family dysfunction.
Providing
children with
healthy food,
sound nutrition education in a setting
with positive
teacher and
peer modeling
is also critical
in reconnecting
this generation
with the food
on their plate.
Children that have the
opportunity to establish healthy eating habits early
on and can learn about nutrition and where their food
comes from are more likely to become adult consumers
and producers that support just and sustainable food
systems which, in turn, are supportive of strong local
economies, farm communities, a clean environment
and a strong and healthy Canada.
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Summary of Cost
The Initiative requires a Federal government
contribution of $25 million in the first year with
incremental increases up to $200 million in the fifth year. The funding will cover 30% of total
meal costs which are estimated at $1 to $2 per day per
child, depending on regional food prices, volunteer
time, parental contribution, local fundraising, charitable
donations and availability of cooking facilities.
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Canada's Right to Food Commitments
The Children's Health and Nutrition Initiative will be an important step forward in fulfi lling Canada's right to food
commitments that are enshrined in several international declarations to which our Federal government is a signatory.
For example, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) states: "Parties shall pursue full
implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures to combat disease and malnutrition,
...through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water,…"
The same year, all parties in the House of Commons passed a resolution to "seek to achieve the goal of eliminating
poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000". In 2005, the United Nations Children's Fund singled out Canada
as a wealthy nation that has failed to make signifi cant strides in eliminating poverty.
A decade ago, Canada also signed on to the Rome Declaration on World Food Security (1996), committing to "implement
policies aimed at eradicating poverty and inequality and improving physical and economic access by all, at all times,
to suffi cient, nutritionally adequate and safe food and its effective utilization".
*back to top* What are Other Jurisdictions Doing?
Many other jurisdictions have already moved ahead to reshape the social, economic, cultural and environmental
influences on children's diets. For example:
Dramatic changes have been made to school food in England. The government's new guidelines require at least two
servings a day of fruit and vegetables and oily fi sh should be served at least once every three weeks. Schools should
also provide free, fresh drinking water and salt should not be available at lunch. Manufactured meat products such
as chicken nuggets may only be served occasionally. The only savoury snacks available at lunchtime should be nuts
and seeds with no added salt, fat or sugar, the guidelines stipulate. The government will also spend an extra £240m
($520m CAN) on subsidizing healthy ingredients in schools.
Ofcom, the British broadcast regulator, announced in late 2006 that ads for foods and beverages high in fat, salt and
sugar will be prohibited in and around all TV programs of particular appeal to children under the age of 16. The use
of celebrities and characters licensed from third-parties (such as cartoons) and promotional claims (such as free gifts)
will also be prohibited in ads directed to primary school children. In the Province of Quebec, all advertising to children
under 13 years of age has been prohibited by law since 1980.
In the U.S., 29.5 million children participate in the National School Lunch Program through more than 98,800 schools
and child care institutions. On a typical day, 59% receive free or reduced price lunches. About 9.6 million children
also participate in the School Breakfast Program. Total federal funding for these programs was $8.8 billion (U.S.) in
2005.
In 2004, France passed legislation to ban soft drink and junk food vending machines in middle and secondary schools.
The following year, the government introduced a 1.5% tax on food and beverage advertisers who do not add public
health warnings to television ads for products high
in sugar and salt.
In Italy, 68% of school meals use organic products,
and many municipalities are emphasizing local and
traditional food. The 140,000 meals served every
school day to children in Rome must include a
healthy and organic snack and a warm meal based
on traditional recipes. The government offers
rebates to public sector caterers that purchase
local and organic products. The incentives help
increase the production of quality foods, lower
environmental impacts, provide more sustainable
local employment, and support better child
nutrition and health.
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