Updating dietary advice for the first time since 2007, Health Canada has embraced the half-a-plate image for fruits and vegetables as a core element of the Canada Food Guide.
The previous graphic was a rainbow-like image featuring several food groups.
The new graphic is similar to the Myplate icon introduced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2011, which also advises consumers that half of their plate should be fruits and vegetables. The U.S. refreshes its dietary guidelines every five years, with the next update scheduled for 2020.
The Canadian Produce Marketing Association and the Canadian Public Health Association welcomed the changes.
“CPMA has long been advocating for increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by Canadians and our Half Your Plate campaign has been resonating with consumers from coast to coast to coast,” CPMA President Ron Lemaire said in a news release.
According to the release, a 2016 Kruger Report revealed that 80% of Canadians do not consume the food guide’s recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. The shortfall results in an economic burden of more than $4 billion, according to the release.
“The Canadian Public Health Association supports the new national dietary guidelines that emphasize plant-based sources of protein, which was a recommendation from the 2017 Canada-specific Lancet Countdown Report,” Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, said in the release.
“The new guideline to make half your plate fruits and vegetables will give people a clear idea of how much they should be eating for good health,” dietitian Michelle Broom, president of the Ontario Produce Marketing Association, said in a news release.
The new food guide suggests filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter of the plate with protein (emphasizing plant-based proteins), another quarter with whole grain foods and making water your drink of choice, said Emma Mallach, communications manager for the Canadian Public Health Association.
“We know that people aren’t eating enough fruits and vegetables and that lacking that can lead to many
chronic diseases,” she said. “So hopefully we’ll see improvements and health if people are able to follow those recommendations.”
