The year was marked by soaring food prices, new food labeling regulations, and encouraging news on diet and health.
Here’s a roundup of four stories that stood out in 2022 and takeaways for 2023 and beyond.
Food inflation top priority
This year Canada saw its highest food inflation rate since 1981. Rising food prices have caused many Canadians to change the way they buy, prepare and store food.
Data reported from Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab reveals that many shoppers are buying less food, using coupons more and buying private store brands more often became. And 4 out of 10 of his Canadians say they are reducing food waste.
A budget diet also meant many people traded red meat for cheaper protein sources and turned to canned fish for omega-3 fats.
The impact of food inflation is expected to continue next year. The Canadian Food Price Report 2023 predicts that food prices will rise by 5-7% overall this winter.
Fresh vegetable prices are expected to rise the most (6-8%), which is why we will be adding frozen vegetables to our grocery list in 2023.
According to Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, director of Dalhousie’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, “Historically, prices in the frozen produce aisle have been much more stable due to consistent supply chains.”
Frozen vegetables are more nutritious than fresh, out-of-season vegetables because they are flash-frozen immediately after harvest. Using frozen vegetables also helps reduce food waste.
Announcing Nutrition Labels on the Front of Packages
In July, Health Canada regulated front-of-the-package (FOP) nutrition labeling to help consumers make healthier food choices. The new mandatory “high content” label appears on prepackaged foods with 15% or more of his daily value (DV) for saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugars.
That’s good news, because Canadians get almost half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods. These foods add excess saturated fat, sodium, and sugar to your diet.
High intakes of these nutrients increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and obesity. There is also growing evidence to suggest that an unbalanced diet contributes to depression and anxiety.
Food manufacturers have until January 1, 2026 to comply with the new regulations. In the meantime, use the DV percentages on the nutrition label to understand how much sodium, saturated fat and sugar your product contains. Anything over 15% is considered high.
new stricter alcohol guidelines
In August, the Canadian Center for Substance Abuse and Addiction proposed new Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines (LRDG) that may have surprised many.
Advisory bodies recommend limiting alcohol consumption for adults, men and women to two standard beverages per week (e.g. 12 ounces of 5% beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80% alcohol). ).
This advice is a striking departure from Canada’s original LRDG, released in 2011, which set a limit of 10 drinks per week for women and 15 drinks per week for men.
The new guidance is based on a review of more than 5,000 studies that found regular alcohol consumption was associated with an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, mental health problems, injuries and violence. increase. All levels of alcohol consumption are associated with several risks.
To minimize to low risk of adverse health effects, current advice is to drink no more than two drinks per week. Drinking 3 to 6 drinks per week is associated with moderate risk. Risk rises sharply after 6 drinks per week.
The final LRDG will be released on January 17th, 2023.
The Mediterranean diet continues to score top
It’s been a good year for the well-researched Mediterranean diet. In January, US News and World Report again rated it the best overall diet of 2022.
Many studies have found that the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression and dementia.
In May, an Australian study provided mounting evidence that diet can also help treat depression. Depression was significantly reduced, with 35% reporting mild to minimal symptoms.
This year, two studies showed that a “green” Mediterranean diet rich in polyphenols, from green shakes made with green tea, walnuts and water beans, was associated with healthy aging of the brain and reduction of visceral fat, liver, pancreas and liver. It has been associated with harmful fats being stored around it. intestine.
Make 2023 the year of the Mediterranean diet. Include olive oil, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, herbs and spices in your daily diet. When eating red meat, eat it in small portions.
Toronto-based private practice dietician Leslie Beck is Medcan’s Director of Food and Nutrition. follow her on her twitter @LeslieBeckRD
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