Front-of-package nutrition references are positively associated with food processing.

Objective: Foods characterized by a high degree of processing are pervasive in the global food supply and concerns have been raised about their contribution to the escalating burden of diet-related disease. It has been suggested that the dominance of these products relates in part to their aggressive on-package marketing. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between the extent and nature of front-of-package (FOP) nutrition references on products sold in Canadian supermarkets and the level of food processing.

An examination of the nutrient content and on-package marketing of novel beverages.

Changing regulatory approaches to fortification in Canada have enabled the expansion of the novel beverage market, but the nutritional implications of these new products are poorly understood. This study assessed the micronutrient composition of energy drinks, vitamin waters, and novel juices sold in Canadian supermarkets, and critically examined their on-package marketing at 2 time points: 2010-2011, when they were regulated as Natural Health Products, and 2014, when they fell under food regulations. We examined changes in micronutrient composition and on-package marketing among a sample of novel beverages (n = 46) over time, compared micronutrient content with Dietary Reference Intakes and the results of the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey to assess potential benefits, and conducted a content analysis of product labels.

Marketing whole grain breads in Canada via food labels.

A recommendation for increased whole grain consumption was released in Canada in 2007 to promote adequate intakes of fibre and magnesium. Since then, a proliferation of 'whole grain' claims on food packaging has been observed, but whole grain labelling is voluntary and unregulated in Canada. Through a detailed survey of bread sold in three supermarkets, this study examined how the presence of front-of-package reference to whole grain relates to (i) the presence and nature of whole grain ingredients, (ii) nutrient content, and (iii) price of the product.

Online marketing of food and beverages to children: a content analysis.

Purpose: The goal was to assess websites sponsored by food and beverage manufacturers that have pledged to market branded food and beverage products to children responsibly, by ratifying the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI).

Methods: A content analysis was conducted of 24 purposively sampled websites sponsored by 10 companies that promote food and beverage products to children. All are participant members of the CFBAI.

Think tank on school-aged children: nutrition and physical activity to prevent the rise in obesity.

The rise in childhood obesity has generated concern across a range of sectors. Stakeholders and experts in the area of children's health met at a Think Tank in Toronto organized by the Canadian Council for Food and Nutrition and the Program in Food Safety, Nutrition, and Regulatory Affairs at the University of Toronto to discuss the current evidence in place to inform the development of school policies to reduce childhood obesity. Although there is some evidence to suggest that school interventions may reduce obesity in children, there are other examples of programs that have had very little impact.

Socioeconomic patterns of obesity in Canada: modeling the role of health behaviour.

Among Canadians, previous research has associated obesity with indicators of socioeconomic position. Several health behaviours have demonstrated similar variation, suggesting that social patterning of obesity may be partially explained by behavioural differences. The objective of this study was to examine obesity in relation to income and education among Canadians, and to characterize the indirect associations potentially occurring through fruit and vegetable intake, leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), and smoking.

An exploration of socioeconomic variation in lifestyle factors and adiposity in the Ontario Food Survey through structural equation modeling.

Background: Socioeconomic indicators have been inversely associated with overweight and obesity, with stronger associations observed among women. The objective of the present secondary analysis was to examine the relationships among socioeconomic measures and adiposity for men and women participating in the Ontario Food Survey (OFS), and to explore lifestyle factors as potential mediators of these associations.

Methods: The cross-sectional 1997/98 OFS collected anthropometric measurements, a food frequency questionnaire, data on socio-demographics (age, sex, income, and education) and physical activity from 620 women and 467 men, ages 18 to 75.

Adiposity, education and weight loss effort are independently associated with energy reporting quality in the Ontario Food Survey.

Objectives: To examine the associations of adiposity, dietary restraint and other personal characteristics with energy reporting quality.

Design/subjects: Secondary analysis of 230 women and 158 men from the 1997/98 Ontario Food Survey.

Methods: Energy reporting quality was estimated by ratios of energy intake (EI) to both basal metabolic rate (BMR) and total energy expenditure (TEE).