Features Business & Policy Consumer Issues
New health plan delivers healthy fats message

Feb. 23, 2012 – A new health claim that advises Canadians to replace dietary sources of saturated fats with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats found in vegetable oils to lower cholesterol, is exciting news for Canada’s canola farmers and the entire Canadian canola industry. The claim was recently approved by Health Canada and announced earlier today by the Vegetable Oil Industry of Canada (VOIC).

According to Statistics Canada, over 40 percent of Canadians have high blood cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease. "Making simple changes in the way we eat, such as choosing canola oil, which is naturally high in unsaturated fats, is good for heart-health," says Rick White, General Manager of the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA).

"We are very pleased there is a Canadian approved health claim that will help consumers more easily identify products containing healthy fats," says White. "Canola oil, made from canola grown right here in Canada, is naturally high in healthy fats and of all the vegetable oils canola has the lowest level of saturated fats at seven percent." It also has 32 percent polyunsaturated fats and 61 percent monounsaturated fats.

The new health claim will be used by the vegetable oil industry on packaging and in other forms to communicate with Canadians. Members of VOIC have also developed a logo to help consumers easily recognize food products that meet the nutritional standards for this claim. Additional information on the health claim and logo can be found at www.voic.ca/.

The Canadian Canola Growers Association represents more than 43,000 canola farmers on national and international issues that impact farm profitability and is a member of VOIC.