Canada’s food guide

Food guide friendly: Principles to improve food environments

Service steps

To create supportive food environments for healthy eating, food guide-friendly principles can be used in settings where foods and drinks are offered or sold. There are three areas for action to help you to make improvements in your setting.  Each area includes principles to help you improve your food environment.  

Note

The food guide-friendly principles do not replace any provincial, territorial or regional policies on food and nutrition.

Action areas

To be most effective, it is encouraged to act in all three areas when making a change. For example, offering whole grain foods – along with competitive pricing, placement, promotion, and education on how to incorporate them and why – can increase the selection of whole grain options over highly processed foods.

Make healthy foods and drinks available

Offer foods that are the foundation for healthy eating to help create a supportive food environment.  

The principles in this action area focus on offering vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, protein foods, healthy drinks, and variety of healthy foods.  

Offer vegetables or fruits when food is served or sold

  • They can be fresh, frozen, canned or dried.
  • Include options with little to no added sodium, sugars and saturated fat.
  • When you offer meals, make sure it is possible for patrons to make vegetables or fruits the largest part of their meal, for example, half of their meal.

Offer whole grain foods or 100% whole wheat options when grain foods are served or sold

Offer a variety of protein foods when protein foods are served or sold

  • Include options with little to no added sodium, sugars and saturated fat.
  • When offering meat or poultry, make sure there are leaner cuts.
  • Include plant-based protein options.
    • Meals and dishes that incorporate plant-based protein foods should include options recommended in Canada’s Dietary Guidelines such as:
      • nuts and nut butters
      • seeds and seed butters
      • soy products like tempeh and tofu
      • legumes such as beans, peas and lentils
    • If choosing plant-based protein products such as ‘simulated meat products’, read the list of ingredients and choose foods that have a plant-based protein food, like black beans or lentils, as one of the first ingredients.

Offer drinking water at all times, at no cost

  • Offer water at no cost. This could include:
    • fountains  
    • cold water dispensers
    • water bottle refill stations
  • When you serve other drinks, offer healthy options that are unsweetened and lower fat, such as:
    • white milk
    • coffee and teas
    • fortified plant-based beverages, such as soy beverage

Offer a variety of foods and drinks

  • In settings where patrons get the majority of their meals, like university and college dining halls, offer a variety of options among each of the food groupings:
    • vegetables and fruits
    • whole grain foods
    • protein foods

This provides flexibility to support cultural and personal preferences as well as offers a variety of nutrients. Advice on nutrition for different life stages provides more about the importance of variety to help people meet nutrient needs.  

Place, price and promote healthy foods and drinks favourably

Patrons are more likely to choose healthy foods and drinks if they’re placed, priced, and promoted favourably.

The principles in this action area focus on ways to make healthy foods more attractive than highly processed products.  

Place healthy food and drinks preferentially compared to highly processed products

  • This includes offering healthy food and drinks:  
    • as the first items presented at a salad bar or steam table
    • in busy areas, such as at the point-of-purchase, near cash registers or on food service counters
    • on middle shelves or at eye level in display fridges or cases  
    • placed prominently on menus, such as at the top and using eye-catching fonts or colours
    • on display in greater proportions than highly processed foods
  • Remove highly processed foods from the most high-traffic areas.

Price healthy foods and drinks preferentially compared to highly processed products

  • This includes pricing healthy food and drinks:  
    • to offer better or the same value compared to highly processed products
    • at no extra cost when substituted in place of highly processed products
    • relative to their size, such as half portion costs should cost no more than half the price of a full portion

Promote healthy food and drinks preferentially compared to highly processed foods and using a combination of activities

  • Use attractive menu names that are descriptive and promote flavour, such as “cinnamon apple breakfast bowl” instead of “oatmeal.”
  • Post promotional signs, images, and campaigns of healthy foods or drinks on menu boards, social media, or in eating areas instead of highly processed foods.
  • Offer healthy food and drinks as the default option for dishes or build-your-own meals like sandwiches, bowls, or salads.
  • Train servers to offer healthy food and drinks as the first option before highly processed products.
  • Use only healthy foods or drinks or non-food items when offering incentives, giveaways, gifts, vouchers or fundraising, for example:
    • only healthy drink options from Canada’s food guide have a discount such as buy-one-get-one-free promotions, or free refills
  • Avoid engaging in food service contracts, agreements, or sponsorships that promote highly processed foods or drinks.

Encourage healthy eating behaviours

Healthy eating is not just about the foods people eat. It’s also about where, when, why, and how they eat.  Helping patrons to make informed food choices and providing an eating environment that fosters healthy eating shows that your organization cares about your patrons’ health and well-being.

The principles in this action area focus on ways to encourage healthy eating behaviours by building food skills, offering dedicated space for meals to be eaten, and demonstrating respect for food traditions.  

Promote food skills

Help patrons develop and practice their food skills.  

Offer a dedicated space where patrons can eat meals with others

  • Limit distractions such as televisions or electronic displays.  
  • Create a clean and attractive space, with tables and comfortable seating.
  • Use promotional materials to remind patrons to take time to eat, enjoy their food, and connect with others without distractions.

Demonstrate food traditions and cultural awareness in regular menu planning and for special events and celebrations

  • Work with patrons and cultural groups to help ensure foods, recipes, and methods of preparation are authentic.
  • Offer dishes from various cultures, accompanied by short descriptions, to reflect and engage the community you serve.
  • Organize events for cultural holidays or celebrations, serving traditional dishes linked to those occasions.

Further reading

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For recipes and more food guide resources visit:

Canada.ca/FoodGuide