Alberta cattle producers say they are feeling betrayed by the federal government after Health Canada recently announced a plan to add saturated fat warning labels to ground meat.
“Labelling ground beef — an affordable, nutritious and versatile protein, and a staple food for most Canadians — is misleading and does not make sense to us,” Alberta Beef Producers chair Melanie Wowk said at a news conference.
“Alberta beef is an extremely sought-after protein and almost 50 per cent of the beef consumed in Canada is in ground beef form. Yet Health Canada intends to place a warning label on a product which is consumed by more than 90 per cent of Canadians and will minimize its nutritional benefits.”
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The proposed new regulation is a blow to beef and pork producers, many of whom are struggling to survive drought, high feed prices and soaring input costs, said attendees at the news conference.
“As a beef producer, I’m confused and concerned as to why ground beef needs to carry such a damaging and unnecessary front-of-package warning label,” said Keith Gregory, a Strathmore-area feedlot operator and vice-chair of the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association. “I take extreme pride in the beef that I produce.”
The health warning is misdirected as less than 10 per cent of saturated fat in the diets of Canadians comes from red meat, said Martin Waldner, a pork producer in the Bashaw area and treasurer of Alberta Pork.
“It is important for Canadians to be mindful of fat intake but more than 40 per cent of saturated fat in Canadian diets comes from processed foods,” he said. “Pork, fresh or ground, is a nutrient-dense way for many Canadians to get nutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin B12 in their diets.”
The farm leaders called on Health Canada to reconsider the front-of-package labelling, which is intended to help consumers make healthy food choices.
Canadians are already living with record-high food inflation, and vilifying a nutrient-dense food in the middle of a global food shortage doesn’t make sense, said Wowk. Canada will be the only jurisdiction in the world to place a health warning on ground meat, she added.
The federal government should be supporting, not hindering, Alberta farmers, said the Beauvallon-area rancher.
“Alberta producers want to continue to supply this vital part of the Canadian diet,” she said. “Yet the ability to do so is becoming continually more difficult for us.
“Between the rising cost of electricity, fuel, natural gas and fertilizer and a severe drought that has added water scarcity and increased the cost of animal feed, many producers have been forced to downsize their herds and sell their cattle.”
Around 50 per cent of Canadian beef is exported and the Health Canada labelling could result in trade problems, she warned.
She also noted the beef industry is one of Alberta’s main economic drivers, saying the sector employs about 55,000 workers and contributes more than $4 billion to the provincial GDP. Beef producers shouldn’t be expected to carry the burden of another market barrier, she said.
“I think a lot of people think we can come out of a drought like this in a year,” she said. “And then of course the carbon tax has been brought up. It has increased all of our costs significantly, from fuel to truckers to fence posts to wire. It just touches every part of our lives and it’s becoming more and more expensive to provide this product to the Canadian public.”
The labelling proposal is “scientifically baseless” and will unfairly impact families, said provincial Agriculture Minister Nate Horner.
He said Alberta livestock associations have written to Health Canada to request that ground meat be exempt from the warning labels.
“This restrictive labelling proposal for ground meat could have significant market consequences for Alberta producers, increasing production costs, lowering consumer purchases and decreasing exports,” he said.
Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the country, Health Canada says on its website, adding the type of dietary fats eaten can change the risk of heart disease because of how they affect cholesterol levels.
“Trans and too much saturated fat are not good for your health,” the website states. “Both trans and saturated fats can raise the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Trans fats can also lower the levels of good cholesterol when compared to other dietary fats. To help decrease trans and saturated fat intakes, select lower-fat dairy products and lean meats when choosing these foods.”
