Government of Canada launches the Eat Well Plate

Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, announced new public education tools to encourage healthy eating for Canadians. These tools include the Eat Well Plate, a visual that suggests Canadians fill half of their plate with vegetables and fruits at every meal. This aligns well with the Half Your Plate program launched by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), The Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Public Health Association in January 2015. “We are thrilled that Health Canada has shown leadership on this issue,” says Ron Lemaire, president, CPMA. “When we began researching this campaign, Canadians were unanimous in stating that serving sizes could be confusing and that the suggestion to fill half of their plate with vegetables and fruit at every meal and snack was clear and simple to understand and follow. This also translates well to the grocery store, where we suggest that half of their cart be filled with vegetables and fruit so that they have healthier options to choose from at home.” The Half Your Plate program was developed to empower Canadians of all ages to eat more fruits and vegetables to improve their health while providing simple and practical ways to add a variety of produce to every meal and snack. The campaign includes a comprehensive website filled with quick meal ideas, information on how to select, store and prepare produce, fun easy recipes, and more. The Half Your Plate program is also featured in many Canadian retail stores, and the logo appears on produce packaging from industry partners. In addition to the Eat Well Plate, Health Canada will also allow health claims on pre-packaged fruits and vegetables to make it easier to let Canadians know about the health benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, officials say.