New website puts nutrition information on Canadian foods at your fingertips

TORONTO – A new website with information about foods sold in this country will make it easier for Canadians to get nutrition facts.

Launched Tuesday by Dietitians of Canada and GS1 Canada, eatwise.ca lets consumers, dietitians and food and nutrition experts look up common foods online and view their nutrient content.

The site includes accurate information about foods sold in Canada, provided directly by manufacturers, along with details about foods that do not require a Nutrition Facts Table on the package.

“Whether it’s a fresh apple, apple juice or frozen apple pie, you can get the information you need with just a few clicks to help you make informed food choices,” Mary Sue Waisman, a spokeswoman for Dietitians of Canada, said Tuesday in a release.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

GS1 Canada, which enables its 20,000 members to develop standards, worked with the Canadian foodservice community to share the nutritional information for foodservice products with Dietitians of Canada. Health Canada also supplied nutrition information from the Canadian Nutrient File database. Dietitians of Canada, with funding support from Health Canada, built the database of foods and created eatwise.ca.

Not all foods available in the grocery store can be found on the website. Currently information is available on foods listed in the Canadian Nutrient File and from participating manufacturers.

“Dietitians of Canada is proud to offer this easy-to-use tool to Canadians to help them with their everyday food decisions in their quest to eat well and stay healthy,” says Waisman.

Dietitians of Canada represents almost 6,000 members at the local, provincial and national levels.

—

Online:

Dietitians of Canada, http://www.dietitians.ca

GS1 Canada, http://www.gs1ca.org

Canadian Nutrition File,

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/fiche-nutri-data/cnf_aboutus-aproposdenous_fcen-eng.php