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Food and Health:
Advancing the Policy Agenda
On March 29th and
30th, 2010, the Chair of Agri-Food Innovation
and Regulation and the Lawrence National Centre
for Policy and Management at the Richard Ivey
School of Business, at the University of Western
Ontario hosted a policy workshop on food and
health and the opportunity to develop an
integrated health and food policy framework.
This workshop focused on how Canadians’ health
can be improved through new products, research,
and communications, and on the policies and
strategies through which government and industry
can support this process.
Thanks to research across disciplines (food,
health, socioeconomic) we know more than ever
about how foods make us healthier or unhealthy.
Food companies can create and market novel
foods, or supplement current foods with
additions like vitamins, fibre or probiotics. At
the same time, more people are being diagnosed
with lifestyle-affected conditions like type 2
diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) which
reduce life expectancy and increase the burden
on Canada’s health system. In the year 2000, CVD
cost Canada’s healthcare system an estimated
$22.2 billion. By 2010, it’s estimated that more
than 3 million Canadians will have diabetes at a
cost to the healthcare system of $15.6 billion.
Some of the blame is being laid on the food
industry.
This cross-disciplinary workshop explored the
policy implications of questions like:
- What
factors influence health related
consumption? How does information—and how
it’s shared—change consumption of ‘good’ or
‘bad’ foods?
- Can health
revolutionize agri-food industries (e.g.
blueberries)?
- How do food
companies and farmers impact health? How
should we address negative impacts?
- Can we
improve the impact of current outreach tools
such as Canada’s Food Guide?
- What
impacts do policies and messaging from
various ministries (e.g. Health,
Agriculture, Energy, Education) have on what
we as Canadians consume?
- How should
Canada’s regulatory framework be reshaped to
support a food and health strategy?
What are the highest research priorities for
developing an integrated food and health
policy framework?
- How can
policy help shape uptake of information from
research, media, and companies on the
beneficial or detrimental effects of new and
existing food products?
The workshop
brought together approximately 80 policy
makers, researchers, media, industry leaders
and students to discuss and advise on
strategies for developing and implementing
effective policies to improve the health of
Canadians through better food and food
choices. Participants will have meaningful
dialogue on critical issues such as the
advances in understanding of health, R&D
leading to new and healthier products, the
role of agents such as media and government
in affecting what Canadians choose to
consume. In addition to speaker-led
sessions, cross-functional breakout teams
identified ways to advance policy, research,
and outreach.
Based on the sessions, recommendations for
improving policies and outreach can be found
in a workshop report. The report identifies
next steps for policy makers and industry in
order to improve the entire food and health
system leading to better quality of life and
reduced healthcare costs in Canada. These
deliverables will be distributed to all
workshop participants, several federal and
provincial ministries.
This workshop presented an invaluable
opportunity for government, industry and
academic leaders to come together in a
neutral and supportive environment and have
a frank discussion about the policy and
economic framework that will help develop
Ontario’s, and Canada’s, food and health
strategy of the future.
Sincerely,
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Dianne
Cunningham
Director, Lawrence Centre
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