Recently, I was reading a small blurb in a natural health magazine (tonic), that informed me, and other readers, that the government of Canada has announced they will no longer “police the nutrition claims on food labels to verify their accuracy”. They have claimed food labels are not a health or safety issue to the public, so instead they will provide a website which consumers can bring forth their concerns to the food producers directly. While I don’t think direct communication with the food companies is a bad idea, I don’t believe it will be effective if there is no government enforcement. As a consumer, I can complain all I want to a company for claiming that their item is organic when in fact ingredients and research say otherwise, but without any reprimandation from a power house, why would they change their labeling which they have probably already printed thousands of and paid the printers. It would not be in the best interest of business, so they will continue to abuse the loose regulations Canada has on packaging and claims made on packaging.
The article also cites mislabels or even omission of information on labels to be dangerous to those with food allergies or conditions such as, diabetes or Crohn’s disease. Does that not make it a health and safety issue for those people? Of course, as consumers and people in general, I believe we should all do our own due diligence for researching and just being in the know of what’s involved with our food items, but I’m not someone who has to live with a fear of possibly eating the wrong thing and serving the ultimate consequence: death.
What do you think? Should the government regulate the labels of food items and make food producers more responsible and forth coming about their products?
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