Health Check

Health Check is an evidence-based food information program created and administered by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. The program aims to help Canadians make informed and healthy eating decisions through education, awareness campaigns and the placement of the Health Check logo on the packaging of a food product or restaurant menu item that meets specific requirements. The logo is a white check mark over a red circle. There are Health Check-certified products in all categories of Canada's Food Guide. The program also provides health eating information to Canadians in a variety of vehicles and using various media.

What are the Criteria?

Products that qualify for a Health Check symbol must meet category-specific nutrient criteria:

• total fat

• saturated fat

• trans fat

• fibre

• sodium

• sugar

• protein

• vitamins and minerals

More specifically the criteria is based on nutrients Canadians should incorporate into their diet such as fibre and vitamins, and also those they should eat less of such as sodium, fat and sugar. The grocery items are divided into categories related to the Canada’s Food Guide food groups which include: Vegetable and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives, Meat and Alternatives plus Oil and Fat. There is also a category for food that incorporate more than one of these called Combination Foods.

The Health Check website has a list of criteria for the products, some examples include:

Vegetable and Fruit

Fruit juices must be:

• made from 100% fruit juice with no added sugar

• an excellent source of vitamin C (50%) or vitamin A (25%) or folate (25%) or source of fibre (2 grams)

Frozen and Canned Vegetables, both seasoned and sauced, must have

• no more than 240 milligrams of sodium

• no more than three grams of fat

Grain Products

Breakfast cereals must have:

• no more than three grams of fat

• at least two grams of fibre

• no more than 240 milligrams of sodium

• no more than six grams of sugar (excluding sugars from pieces of fruit) except if four grams or more of fibre

• no more than five percent of total fat from trans fat

Milk and Alternatives

Yogurts must have:

• no more than two percent milk fat

• at least fifteen percent of the daily recommended calcium

• no more than 140 milligrams of sodium

• no added sugar

Meat and Alternatives

Plain meat or poultry must have:

• no more than ten percent fat

• no added salt or sodium

• no more than five percent of fat from trans fat

An independent company randomly evaluates the items, on an annual basis, to ensure that products indeed meet the criteria.

Evolution

A CBC Marketplace report filmed in 2007 was critical of the program, showing some Health Check certified products with sodium and sugar levels that were beyond the recommended levels of other food-rating systems. The program has evolved in the years since this CBC piece aired in January 2008. In 2007 and 2008 significant changes were made to the sodium criteria resulting in reductions of between 25% – 70% in a number of food groups. Categories have been removed in the past few years including cookies, cakes, certain snacks, desserts and French fries.

External links

• Health Check website
• CBC Marketplace report