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Politics

Ontario Planning Legislation- Mandatory Menu Labeling For Fast-Food Restaurants and others

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It appears North American society has been desensitized to what childhood obesity 'looks like'- what a difference a single generation can make. Here we see child obesity stricken Augustus Gloop characters from Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory- (Left) 1971 (Right) 2005. Clearly, what was considered obese 42 years ago would not be considered obese today. As Society as a whole becomes more overweight and as media desensitizes our perspectives due to film and video characterizations, our opinions have been influenced. CP image: weknowmemes.com
It appears North American society has been desensitized to what childhood obesity ‘looks like’- what a difference a single generation can make. Here we see child obesity stricken Augustus Gloop characters from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory- (Left) 1971 (Right) 2005. Clearly, what was considered obese 42 years ago would not be considered obese today. As Society as a whole becomes more overweight and as media desensitizes our perspectives due to film and video characterizations, our opinions have been influenced. CP image: weknowmemes.com

 

October, 2013     Ontario will help parents and their children make healthier choices by putting calories on menus, following consultations with the fast-food industry and health care sector.

Legislation that would require large chain restaurants to include calories and other potential nutritional information on their menus will be introduced this winter. The government will also seek advice on how to reduce the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages aimed at kids.

Consultations on menu labeling will include parents and representatives from food and beverage manufacturing, agriculture, restaurant, food service, food retail and health sectors. Consultations on limiting the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children will also include the media and telecommunications industry.

Making it easier for Ontario families to choose healthy food is a key component of the Healthy Kids Panel report and helps deliver on our Action Plan for Health Care.

This is part of the Ontario government’s economic plan to invest in people, invest in infrastructure and support a dynamic and innovative business climate.

QUICK FACTS

*   The consultations build on steps the government has already taken to implement recommendations from the Healthy Kids Panel, including a 24-hour support line for breastfeeding moms and expanding Ontario’s Student Nutrition Program.

*   In 2009, the economic cost associated with physical inactivity and obesity in Ontario was $4.5 billion.

*   More than 80 per cent of food ads in Canada are for food high in calories and low in nutritional value.

*   A vast majority of Ontarians (95 per cent) support requiring fast food restaurants list nutritional information on their menus (Ipsos Reid, 2011).

 

Australia’s controversial “Break the Habit”- childhood obesity commercial

 

 

LEARN MORE

*     Ontario Consulting On Healthy Eating Initiatives

*     Support for Ontario’s Healthy Eating Initiatives

*     Ontario’s Action Plan for Health Care

*     The Health Kids Panel Report

QUOTES

“Parents have told us they want our support in keeping their kids healthy. We are

committed to giving parents and their kids the information they need to make healthy

choices. I want to thank our health care and industry partners for working

collaboratively with us on this important initiative to improve kids’ health.”

— Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care

 

McDonald's VP Ontario- Sharon Ramalho began working at McDonald's part-time in 1983. image courtesy of womenworthwatching.com
McDonald’s VP Ontario- Sharon Ramalho began working at McDonald’s part-time in 1983. image courtesy of womenworthwatching.com

 

“McDonald’s Canada supports the Ontario government’s action to provide Ontarians

with more access to nutrition information in restaurants. McDonald’s is a long-time

leader in providing comprehensive in-restaurant nutrition information based on the

13 core nutrients including calories, so its customers can make informed eating

choices to suit their dietary needs and preferences.”

—  Sharon Ramalho, Vice President – Ontario Region, McDonald’s Canada

 

 

 

 

“Ontario’s doctors wholeheartedly support the government’s plan to introduce menu

labelling in large chain restaurants, and also believe in the need for restrictions

on the marketing of unhealthy food to kids. Obesity is strongly associated with an

increase in chronic disease – and over half of all adults and one-third of children

are overweight or obese. The government’s Healthy Kids Strategy will go a long way

towards addressing this growing epidemic.”

— Dr. Scott Wooder, President, Ontario Medical Association

 

“The Heart and Stroke Foundation applauds the Government of Ontario’s decision to

introduce mandatory menu labeling. With today’s busy lives and vast array of food

choices, it’s crucial to provide everyone with the ability to make well informed

decisions about the food we eat and feed our children. This important initiative

will go a long way in empowering Ontarians to make healthy choices when dining out

or purchasing prepared food. Eating well is absolutely one of the best investments

Ontarians can make to decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke.”

— Mark Holland, Director of Health Promotion and Children & Youth, Heart and Stroke

Foundation

 

Helping Families Make Healthier Food Choices

Supplemental- How close is planned Ontario legislation to the USA Obama administration’s new calorie limitations for school lunches? http://eagnews.org/appalled-school-cafeteria-employee-seconds-banned-extra-food-thrown-away/

The impact of food advertising on childhood obesity by the American Psychological Association http://www.apa.org/topics/kids-media/food.aspx

"“We have to keep an enormous amount of paperwork, about serving sizes, food temperatures, labels, on and on,” our source says. “The new forms are more complex, ask for more information that’s just being duplicated on other forms. (Food service workers) are all collecting the same data for reports that sit in a file drawer and never get looked at.” Our source believes the new government-required paperwork consumes so much of the employees’ time that it is driving up labor costs for the school district, which serves a low-income community." source/image: eagnews.org
““We have to keep an enormous amount of paperwork, about serving sizes, food temperatures, labels, on and on,” our source says. “The new forms are more complex, ask for more information that’s just being duplicated on other forms. (Food service workers) are all collecting the same data for reports that sit in a file drawer and never get looked at.”
Our source believes the new government-required paperwork consumes so much of the employees’ time that it is driving up labor costs for the school district, which serves a low-income community.” source/image: eagnews.org
Politics

Ont. Green Party: Back-room Collaboration Excluded Us From Televised Debate

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GREEN PARTY OF ONTARIO CALLS FOR DEMOCRACY IN PROVINCIAL LEADERS’DEBATE

TORONTO, ONTARIO – Green Party of Ontario Leader, Mike Schreiner, penned an open letter to Ontarians today. Despite public outcry, the Green Party of Ontario was excluded from the provincial leader’s debate.

“I would have welcomed the chance to go head to head with the other Leaders,” says Schreiner. “As a small business owner who grew up on a farm, I know first-hand how to create jobs and responsibly manage our financial and natural resources. Greens are tackling the tough issues with straight talk and sensible, long-term solutions that need to be heard in the debate.”

The Green Party is running a full slate of 107 candidates in every riding in the province in this election. The Green Platform, released before the other parties’, tackles the major challenges facing Ontario today, with a long-term perspective that secures our children’s future.

The Green Party is clearly part of a growing global political movement that has elected officials all over the world – including seats in Germany, Britain, Australia and most recently, in Canada at the federal level with the election of Elizabeth May earlier this year. The Greens in the German state of Baden-Württemberg also formed government earlier this year, a global first.

Irrespective of the consortium’s decision to exclude the Greens in tonight’s debate support has been gaining for their inclusion in this election:

* According to an Ipsos Reid poll released on Monday, September 26, three quarters of Ontarian’s agree that the Mike Schreiner should be included in this year’s Leaders’ Debate.

* People across the political spectrum support fair and inclusive debates – municipal councillors, community leaders and members of all parties have signed a grassroots campaign ‘Mike at the Mic [1]’, started by Dave Meslin, a Toronto community activist.
* TVO has recently announced that Green Party candidates will be included in all of their election debates. This decision was made democratically according to Steve Paiken, “…after seeking input from our production team, [we] realize that the Greens had fully developed, and in some cases, quite different positions from the three mainline parties on a host of other issues as well.”
* Dozens of organizations, including the City of Mississauga, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business have asked for the Green Party’s position on a wide variety of issues.

“The other parties speak about issues that area carefully calculated to gain power,” said Schreiner. “They neglect the real issues facing Ontarians and someone needs to make them answer for that.”
————————-

AN OPEN LETTER TO ONTARIANS

Dear Neighbours,

Tonight (Sept 27, 2011 CP) , many of you will watch the only televised Leaders’ debate in this provincial election.

I would have welcomed the chance to go head to head with these professional politicians. But I am sorry to say that you won’t have a chance to hear from the Green Party during the debate.

Unfortunately, the decision to deny the Green Party a seat at the table for this debate was made by a few non-elected broadcasters meeting in a back-room in collaboration with the three old parties.

I know you were looking forward to hearing a voice that reflects your desire to fix politics as usual.

To make sure Ontario is leader in the twenty-first century global economy, we must make the connection between a healthy environment and a strong economy. We will lower payroll taxes on local businesses to make it cheaper and easier to create good local jobs and lower income taxes so your money can support our local economy. Our plan to put a price on carbon will create jobs, strengthen our economy, balance the budget and reduce pollution and carbon emissions.

We need smart planning that puts clean air, water, land and communities first – instead we have the Liberal’s fair-weather environmentalism where decisions about mega-quarries and gas-plants only come when it’s politically convenient.

The Conservatives want to pull us back into the last century with their energy plans that will kill green energy and borrow billions to build expensive, inflexible new nuclear.

All of the old parties have irresponsible plans that borrow money to subsidize the wasteful use of energy.

The Green Party of Ontario is the only party helping you to save money by saving energy. Our green energy plan starts with low cost solutions that prioritize energy efficiency and conservation. Our plan will create good local jobs across the province and reduce the amount of money the province must spend on new sources of energy.

We are the only party dedicated to making family farming a top priority in this province, so we can all enjoy fresh, affordable food on our tables, today, and in the future.

We are the only party calling for a smart, fair, equitable school board system with a plan to engage citizens in determining the best way forward.

These are tough issues that the Green Party would have raised in the debate. And while the other parties may be too afraid to give us a seat at the table, our voice will not be silenced, nor will it slow our growth. We have policies that will improve your life and our communities today, tomorrow and years from now.

We will continue to reach out to Ontarians face-to-face, as our 107 candidates continue to knock on countless doors to earn your trust, and your vote on Oct 6th. We will continue to listen to you and present solutions to the issues that matter to you.

In my travels across our great province, I have been awed and inspired to see the commitment and dedication of thousands of individuals – people just like you – making their communities a better place.

Please take a moment to check out our platform. It’s time for a better, more sustainable Ontario. It’s time to vote Green so we can work with you to fix politics as usual in Ontario.

Thank you,

Mike Schreiner
Leader of the Green Party of Ontario

Media Contact:

Rebecca Harrison
Director of Communications Green Party of Ontario
(c) 905-999-5479
(e) rebeccaharrison@gpo.ca
Sent from Green Party of Ontario

PO Box 1132
Toronto, ON M4Y 2T8
Canada

Links:
——
[1] Silo Direct Link To Ontario Green Party Press Website
[2] rebeccaharrison@gpo.ca