Statement made on 17 November 2010 by Senator Catherine Callbeck
Hon. Catherine S. Callbeck:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Canadians consume about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day, more than double the recommended intake of 1,500 milligrams. Almost 80 per cent of this daily salt intake comes from processed and packaged foods.
In July, the Health Canada Sodium Working Group released its sodium reduction strategy which called for voluntary restrictions on the amount of salt allowed in packaged and processed food, but there has been no action by Health Canada to date.
A recent Australian study published in the medical journal Heart found that government-led mandatory restrictions are 20 times more effective than voluntary restrictions.
Will the government take these new findings into consideration and implement mandatory measures to help reduce the salt content in packaged and processed food?
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