Canada’s Official Food Rules (1942) became Canada’s Food Rules (1944, 1949), then Canada’s Food Guide (1961, 1977, 1982). Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating (1992) evolved to Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide (2007). The title changes signify an evolution in the positioning and philosophy of the food guide. This report documents the processes and influences that shaped the development of Canada’s food guides, the changes that occurred from the 1942 Official Food Rules to the 2007 Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, and the strategies that were used to encourage Canadians to follow the guides.

1942 Canada’s Official Food Rules

Canada’s Official Food Rules were developed by the Nutrition Division of the federal government in collaboration with the Canadian Council on Nutrition. Food consumption surveys, although limited at the time, revealed problems such as poor access to food, insufficient money for food, and malnutrition in some populations. Thus, the Official Food Rules were intended to be a focal point for a wartime nutrition program to improve the health of Canadians by maximizing nutrition in the context of food rationing and poverty. Footnote 1 , Footnote 4 , Footnote 5 , Footnote 6 , Footnote 7 The publication identified six food groups (Milk; Fruit; Vegetables; Cereals and Breads; Meat, Fish, etc.; and Eggs) for which specific amounts of foods were suggested for daily consumption. Limited supplies of certain foods, such as milk, prompted the Council to base the Food Rules on 70% of the Dietary Standard. Footnote 8 The foods listed in the Rules were considered to be “health-protective”, a term we are more likely to associate with current nutrition debates.

Implementation

The resource support given in the 1940′s to the promotion of healthy eating is impressive. In 1943, the Nutrition Division of the Department of Pensions and National Health launched the Canada Nutrition Program, which, among other tasks, handled public education on the new Food Rules. Continue lendo →