QUEEN’S PARK – Ontario NDP Health Critic France Gélinas has issued the following statement on the report released today by Health Canada’s Sodium Working Group:
“I welcome the recommendations of the Sodium Working Group, which delivered its report today after two years of hard work. A coordinated sodium reduction strategy is essential for lowering the costly health outcomes of many chronic conditions, such as elevated blood pressure, caused by excessive sodium consumption.
“Today’s recommendations include steps that could be adopted by the Ontario government – making Ontario a leader across Canada. My private members bill, ‘Healthy Decisions for Healthy Eating’, would lay the necessary groundwork for nutritional labelling of fast food menus. If the McGuinty government supported the bill, sodium labelling could be easily added to the existing legislation.
“Increasingly, public health experts are encouraging governments to play a role in ensuring Canadians are able to make the healthiest food choices possible. Knowing the caloric and sodium content of fast food restaurant meals is a simple yet essential step in the right direction. I sincerely hope that the Harper and McGuinty governments adopt the good advice the Sodium Working Group is offering us today.”
