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Canada considering warning labels on cheese and milk

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Health Canada is in the middle of revamping the Canada Food Guide with the goal of getting Canadians to eat healthier. It is reported that this could lead to warning labels on milk and cheese reports CBC News.

Health Minister Jane Philpott emphasizes that "one of the most important things about our health is what we eat and how we eat." Philpott is connecting the dots between "years of eating unhealthy food" and the long-term cost of Canadians developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

"Under the proposed changes, these warning signs could end up on the front of homogenized milk, high-fat cheeses and sweetened yogurts. A second round of consultations of a new Canada Food guide also included a proposal to have more caution about consuming the dairy products", reports the CBC.

Dairy farmers are pushing back. And food manufacturers are expressing worry about their bottom line cost of updating package and nutrition labels. While Philpott is consulting with industry, she emphasizes that "diabetes is Canada's number one public health challenge."

Inside the document, not yet publicly released, Health Canada recommends that Canadians eat more plant-based sources of protein, vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.

Philpott also said that the new Food Guide will broaden its scope for those who are vegan and vegetarian.

The last Canada Food Guide which was released in 2011, does include plant proteins such as legumes, tofu, nut butters, nuts and seeds as suggested "alternative" proteins, and even recommends having these meat alternatives "often".

Related: Fighting obesity in Canada

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