e-4895 (Food and drink)

Health Canada is committed to improving the lives of all Canadians and to making this country's population among the healthiest in the world as measured by longevity, lifestyle and effective use of the public health care system.

While health is the primary focus of the dietary guidance, there are potential environmental benefits to following the food guide. For example, there is evidence supporting a lesser environmental impact of patterns of eating higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods. Health Canada’s food guide resources include information about healthy eating and the environment.

Canada’s food guide provides healthy eating recommendations for Canadians that are built on a solid foundation of evidence. The evidence shows that vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein foods should be consumed regularly. Plant-based protein foods are encouraged more often. This is because patterns of eating that emphasize plant-based foods can have positive effects on health.

To support people in using the food guide, Health Canada continually develops new healthy eating resources for its food guide website for the public, policy makers and health professionals. For example, the food guide kitchen is an online suite of recipes and cooking skills articles that helps support people in applying food guide recommendations in daily life. Health Canada also promotes food guide resources through a monthly food guide newsletter, which currently has more than 70,000 subscribers.

Health Canada has also recently released the food guide toolkit for educators to help children develop healthy eating habits, understand Canada's food guide, and explore foods and learn food skills. The toolkit is intended for use by health and education intermediaries who work with children aged 4 to 11 (e.g., health promoters, teachers, camp counsellors, coaches, and other community leaders).  

Healthy eating information can help people understand what foods are better for their health, but information alone is not sufficient when the current food environment does not support making the healthy choice the easier choice. This is why Health Canada complements healthy eating information with initiatives that work to improve the food environment. 

Health Canada is working with interested stakeholders to implement the food guide friendly initiative. This is a voluntary initiative that encourages publicly funded institutions to increase the availability and promotion of nutritious foods and beverages through improved pricing, placement and promotion. A pilot phase of the initiative has focused on post-secondary institutions and recreation settings, as these settings can support children and youth to develop healthy behaviours early in life. A food guide-friendly pledge encourages collaborators to better align with the food guide recommendations including providing drinking water at no cost and always offering vegetables, fruit, and whole grain options.