不良研究所

Global experts, industry players and policy-makers from across Canada and the U.S. will descend on the University of 不良研究所 to chew over the complex dilemma of unhealthy diets 鈥� a leading risk factor for death and disability in this country.

The free, two-day forum, presented by the Cumming School of Medicine鈥檚  and the , will look at Canada鈥檚 revamped food guide, the federal government鈥檚 , and explore opportunities in policy to increase access to nutritious foods in schools, restaurants and markets.

鈥淭his forum really is about transforming the way people think about food,鈥� explains Dr. Norm Campbell, MD, a general internist, professor and a leading expert in hypertension.

Hasan Hutchinson, director general of the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion at Health Canada, which oversees the development of the new food guide and national strategy, will be a keynote speaker at the June 18-19 forum at U不良研究所鈥檚 Downtown Campus.

Olympic icon and former senator Nancy Greene Raine, who has championed a bill to restrict marketing of unhealthy foods to kids, will deliver the keynote address on June 19.

鈥淚n 2016, the Senate report on Canada鈥檚 rising rates of obesity was clear," says Greene Raine. "There is no easy solution, but it鈥檚 a combination of calories in and calories out, and for many Canadians this has become unbalanced. I鈥檓 pleased that my bill to prohibit the targeted marking of junk food to children is about to be passed, it鈥檚 a step in the right direction.鈥�

Greene Raine and Hutchinson will be joined by more than two dozen leading experts, including:

• Dr. Kim Kessler, JD, assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Tobacco Control at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
• Dr. Mary L鈥橝bb茅, PhD, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Policy for Chronic Disease Prevention and chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto
• Dr. Alfred Aziz, PhD, chief of Nutrition Regulations and Standards Division at Health Canada
• Dr. Kim Raine, PhD, scientific director of the Centre for Health and Nutrition at the University of Alberta
• Dr. Charlene Elliott, PhD, U不良研究所 professor and Canada Research Chair in Food Marketing, Policy and Children鈥檚 Health

鈥淎s Canada prepares for these changes, we want people to understand why better, evidence-based nutrition policy is important,鈥� says Campbell, who chairs the scientific committee behind the forum.

Among other things, the forum will examine food marketing to children, provincial and national policy plans, and opportunities to improve nutrition and increase access to healthy foods for all Canadians regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity or geographical location.

鈥淚f you look at the dietary related diseases, they鈥檙e concentrated in the lower socio-economic groups of our country. Obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, they all group in that lower socio-economic strata,鈥� says Campbell.

The cost of doing nothing is staggering. One study  estimates the economic burden of chronic diseases due to unhealthy eating cost Canadian health-care systems nearly $14 billion in 2014.

Dr. Dana Olstad, PhD, is a registered dietitian and an assistant professor at U不良研究所 whose research aims to understand the role policy can play in addressing dietary inequity between socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and their advantaged counterparts. She says the federal government鈥檚 new food strategy is a huge step in the right direction, but more needs to be done.

鈥淗ealth Canada鈥檚 Healthy Eating Strategy takes important, world-leading action to address poor diet quality among Canadians,鈥� Olstad says. 鈥淗owever, because many of the factors that shape dietary intake are outside the control of the health sector, we hope that other government departments will also consider how their actions shape Canadians鈥� dietary intake.鈥�

The forum will also explore innovations emerging from the public, private and non-profit sectors 鈥� things like food and media literacy programs for kids, nutrition apps, and ethnoculturally targeted nutrition websites, says Dr. Aleem Bharwani, MD, lead for Public Policy at the O鈥橞rien Institute and a member of the forum鈥檚 scientific committee.

鈥淚nnovation in nutrition is not just about government policy, though government-level policy is critical,鈥� he says. 鈥淥nce government sets the parameters, it is for the three sectors to work within these parameters to create value for citizens. It is an active process which we hope to inspire and contextualize at this forum.鈥�

The forum takes place June 18 and 19 at U不良研究所鈥檚 Downtown Campus. The event is free, but registration is required. Click  to secure a seat and see the full agenda. Canadian Pacific is a valued sponsor of this event.

Dr. Norm Campbell is a professor in the departments of Medicine, Community Health Sciences and Physiology and Pharmacology, and is a member of the O鈥橞rien Institute and the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta at CSM.

Dr. Aleem Bharwani is the director for public policy and strategic partnerships at CSM and policy lead for the O鈥橞rien Institute at CSM.

Dr. Dana Olstad, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at CSM, an adjunct academic professor at the University of Alberta and a member of the O鈥橞rien and Libin institutes.