Front-of-package nutrition labels aim to make healthier choices easier, dietitian says

Foods high in fat, sugar or sodium will soon carry a new black-and-white magnifying glass symbol, with Health Canada making front-of-package labels mandatory.

Front-of-package nutrition labels are starting to appear on grocery items in Quebec in an effort to make nutrition information more accessible for consumers.

Clémence Desjardins, a registered dietitian and PhD candidate at Université Laval, said she believes the symbol — a magnifying glass — could encourage Quebecers to make healthier choices.

“It will help consumers quickly identify which foods are high in saturated fat, sugar or sodium,” Desjardins explained in a recent interview.

“And it will provide a simpler overview of the nutrition facts, making it easier to compare products.”

Health Canada introduced the new nutrition labelling regulations in July 2022, with full implementation set for January 2026.

Desjardins pointed to a recent study conducted by researchers at Université Laval, which analyzed nearly 4,000 products and found that 60 per cent of items sold in Quebec grocery stores are high in saturated fat, sugar and sodium.

“For saturated fats, the types of foods that are most likely to carry this symbol are sausages, pizzas and cookies. And for sugars, it’s cookies, flavored milk, plant-based beverages and granola bars. And for sodium, we have processed meats, ready-to-serve soups and pizzas,” she said.

The legislation exempts foods such as vegetables and fruits, two-per-cent and whole milk, eggs, and foods with a healthy fat profile, including vegetable oils, nuts and fatty fish.

Health Canada says these foods are exempt because they provide recognized health benefits for the population.

“So, for dairy foods such as cheese and yogurt, this is because they are important sources of calcium, which most people would not get enough of if they didn’t eat dairy,” Desjardins noted.

The new symbol is also easier to understand because it highlights only three nutrients, rather than the 12 listed on the nutrition facts table on the back of the package.

“Also, there are no numbers on the new symbol, so consumers don’t have to spend extra time figuring out whether a food is high in saturated fat, sugar or sodium. In that sense, the interpretation of those numbers has already been done,” she added.

Despite its simplicity, she encouraged people to use both the front-of-package symbol and the nutrition facts table, as they complement each other.

“Consumers can use the new symbol to easily compare products within the same category. If we take granola bars, for example, some of them have high amounts of saturated fats and sugars, but not all of them.

“Just by quickly looking at the different options in the grocery store aisle, it will be easier to spot those with less saturated fats and sugar, essentially, those that don’t have the symbol,” Desjardins said.

Consuming high amounts of saturated fat, sugar and sodium has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, as well as certain types of cancers, according to the dietitian.

Desjardins said front-of-package labeling is an evidence-based strategy recognized by multiple health organizations and serves as a useful tool in addressing the global rise of chronic diseases.

She added that similar labeling systems are already in use in other countries and have been shown to help reduce consumption of less nutritious foods.

“I’m confident that this new regulation will help people make more nutritious choices for themselves and their family and that this will translate into a generally healthier population down the road,” she said.