Grant: Operating Grant

In the past, there have been strict controls on adding vitamins and minerals to Canadian foods. However, recently, food-like products with high levels of added vitamins, minerals, and other substances, such as ginseng, have been permitted for sale in Canada. Health professionals are concerned that Canadians will believe these products (called supplemented foods or SFs) are healthier because of their added ingredients and will not consider if the food itself is healthy. Canadians eating SFs may also be at risk of consuming unsafe levels of some nutrients, especially if they are also taking supplements. We do not know who actually uses SFs in Canada, why they do so, and if they can use the information on SF food labels to tell them apart from regular foods and use these products safely. Our first goal is to determine what types and how many SFs are sold in Canada, using our database of food labels from Canadian grocery store products. Our second goal is to measure consumers' understanding and use of these products. We will survey Canadians to determine how and why they use SFs and test their ability to use the food label to identify a SF. This research will provide information for government to use in designing regulations for supplemented foods. This information will also assist government and the food industry to develop educational strategies to help consumers use these products appropriately and safely.