Food guide friendly is a voluntary initiative that encourages publically funded institutions to create healthier food environments by:
- increasing the availability of nutritious foods and beverages;
- improving the appeal of nutritious foods and beverages through priority:
- pricing
- placement
- promotion
Why create a healthy food environment?
Organizations can support people to make healthy food choices by improving their food environment. To achieve this, Canada’s Dietary Guidelines recommend that publically funded institutions and other settings:
- offer nutritious foods promoted by Canada’s food guide, and
- limit availability of highly processed foods and beverages.
People are more likely to make healthy eating choices when the food environment is supportive. They choose what to eat and drink based on what is:
- visible
- available
- promoted
- affordable
In our food environment, highly processed products are widely available and are often heavily promoted. This can make it hard to choose foods that align with Canada’s food guide.
Creating a supportive environment shows that your organization cares about people’s health and well-being.
Status of the initiative
We are working on principles for the food guide friendly initiative. These principles outline food guide friendly actions organizations can take to improve their food environment.
Our current focus is post-secondary institutions and recreation settings. These settings can support children and youth to develop healthy behaviours early in life. They are also settings that have expressed interest and show readiness for change.
Contact us
To learn more about the food guide friendly initiative contact Health Canada.