| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2009
VICTORIA – A new provincial regulation that targets trans fat in restaurant meals doesn’t go far enough, says the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA). Trans fat must be removed from the entire food supply chain at a national level to meet public health goals.
“We applaud the objective of the BC trans fat regulation announced today, but the process is fundamentally flawed,” says Ron Reaman, CRFA Vice President, Federal. “Trans fat reduction needs to happen at the national level and at the source, which is food production and manufacturing.”
Canadians source 84 per cent of their meals from grocery stores, according to market research firm NPD Group, but grocery purchases are not covered by the B.C. regulations. Restaurant operators source most of their ingredients and food products from the same manufacturers that supply grocery stores.
“The problem with these regulations is that they will force thousands of British Columbia restaurant operators to limit trans fat on their menus when they have no control over the supply of trans-fat-free products,” says Mark von Schellwitz, CRFA Vice President, Western Canada. “We urge the BC government to join the call for national regulations.”
CRFA has been calling for the federal government to regulate trans fat levels to send a strong signal to food producers, processors and manufacturers to further invest in healthy alternatives to trans fat.
“Health Canada’s trans fat data monitoring program shows the restaurant sector has made significant progress in reducing or eliminating trans fat,” says Reaman. “We recognize that as an industry we need to do even more to meet the targets recommended by the federal trans fat task force, but it’s going to take a coordinated effort by the entire food chain.”
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