The Codex Committee on Food Labelling

Almost everyone, anywhere, from time to time, purchases some type of food that has been pre-finished, processed to some degree. And most people, particularly those who like to be aware of all the ingredients contained in the processed food they purchase, automatically inspect the posted list of ingredients.

There are some ingredients that many people will reject, some chemicals that seem to pose a potential threat to human health and they're unwilling to expose themselves and their families to the ingestion of potentially harmful ingredients. If the labelling is honest and truly reflects those ingredients contained in processed foods, consumers can make confident and assured choices.

A round of negotiations on international food labelling standards is set for discussion through the Codex Committee on Food Labelling scheduled to meet in Canada shortly. The committee is responsible for setting international codes of practise and for implementing the World Health Organization's Food Standards Program.

The WHO has proposed an amendment to encourage national governments to require their food producers to fully disclose ingredients in percentiles as they appear in processed food products. While Canada is in support of the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, it seems it does not wish to approve health-related labelling.

Mandatory reporting by food manufacturers and processors isn't given a passing grade by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This is a position that can only be seen as acceding to the lobbying by Canadian food producers. It most certainly cannot be seen as a wish for government to protect the health interests of Canadian consumers.

Without accurate labelling of all ingredients that compose a finished food product, it simply is not possible for Canadian consumers - consumers anywhere in the world who are affected by the decision-making outcome of the committee - to make informed and healthwise choices in the food products they purchase.

Governments, in choosing to support the wishes of food producers to avoid full disclosure of ingredients and their percentiles, do a grave disservice to the populations whom they represent. It's an ill-considered, political, economic decision, not a responsibly social governing decision.

In supporting packaging identification of ingredients governments indicate clearly they are concerned with the health and well-being of their constituents. It's very good that governments are in support of ensuring the list of mandatory nutrients list energy value, amounts of protein, carbohydrates, sugars, fat, saturated fatty acids, trans-fats and sodium, but full disclosure should be the labelling target.

Should Canada and the other nation-members on the Codex Committee on Food Labelling insist on siding with food manufacturers against consumers' need to know, they will be failing in their responsibility to the people they claim to serve. It is deceptive to say there is concern while at the same time rejecting the need to inform people adequately.

Too much of the foods we eat in processed form have diverted sufficiently from their original forms to make them questionable nutritional substitutes for the original. The resulting quasi-food, of increasingly lesser food value foisted on a trusting public is one of the reasons that societies such as Canada's are seeing a growing incidence of obesity among young and old.

Government cannot have it both ways; expressing concern at the emerging health emergency represented by a growing obesity epidemic - deploring food and lifestyle habits - while at the same time adding to the problem by inadequate legislation in food labelling.