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potential for wheat in a couple areas,
more research is needed.
Disease-risk-reduction or therapeutic
health claims aren’t handed out lightly.
In fact, over the past decade or so, there
have only been 11 similar health claims
approved by Health Canada. Others are
under consideration, but the science must
be proven before the claim can proceed.
Nancy Ames, PhD, an Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada research scientist
based in Winnipeg, is all too familiar
with the health claim process. A cereal
chemist, she piloted the first review of
scientific literature that led to the 2009
petition for a health claim for barley
hile noone can argue
that mothers’ often-heard
advice—“eat it, it’s good for
you”—was necessarily wrong, it takes far
more than that home-kitchen assurance
to convince Health Canada a Canadian
food product is worthy of a therapeutic
health claim.
Advocates must travel a long and
well-documented road before seeing a
statement saying that eating X amount
of barley, oats or flax in a day can help
lower cholesterol—a risk factor for heart
disease. Wheat, another healthy grain,
is still traveling that documentation
road. While research shows excellent
beta glucan (a soluble fibre) in Canada.
That research, documentation and
submission, combined with the review
and approval process by Health Canada,
took roughly three years. The cholesterol-
lowering health claim for barley was
approved for use on eligible food labels
in July 2012.
“Health Canada needs to see the
science that supports these health
claims,” said Ames. “When we started
the groundwork for a health claim
submission for barley back in about
2007, there was no guidance document
in place. We prepared our petition by
working closely with Health Canada,
The Food Issue
2014
Grains
West
40
Feature
W
What does it take for a food product to
receive the stamp of approval ?
by lee hart • Photography by Leif norman
Health Claims