Food and Consumer Products of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture want the Commons agriculture committee to study front of package labelling to make sure Canada doesn't adopt practices that will undermine the growth of the agrifood sector.The concern centres on proposals being considered at Health Canada to require warnings on food package labels rather than developing educational initiatives to inform consumers about what they should be eating and drinking, says Carla Ventin, FCPC's Vice-President of Federal Government Affairs.FCPC and CFA “have serious concerns with the process and approach that Health Canada officials continue to take towards the placement of warning labels on the front of food packages,” she told the committee, which is studying a national food policy.“There are other ways to improve public health, like education that take a more informative approach to how people eat,” she said. “Our research shows that consumers actually prefer a more informative approach than warning labels. There's no evidence to suggest that Health Canada's proposals will improve public health outcomes.“We share the serious concerns of national farm groups regarding the proposal to place warning labels like stop signs on iconic Canadian products like cheese and maple syrup,” she said.The labelling approach would affect the national food policy under consideration by Agriculture Canada and “impact the ability of the agrifood industry to meet the growth targets identified in the Barton report and the federal budget,” sheIn its recognition of the importance of the agrifood sector, the 2016 Barton report said further growth in food exports will depend mainly on the development of value-added products, she said. Canada only processes “50 per cent of what we grow and this represents an enormous, untapped opportunity.”A national food policy has to be part of the process for increasing agrifood exports to $75 billion as called for in the 2017 federal budget, she said. To achieve that goal, “we need to adopt a whole of government approach. While we commend the federal government's intent and efforts to coordinate between departments, more work needs to be done.”Health Canada's proposed warning labels are “an example of misalignment when other departments are working closely with the agrifood sector to meet the ambitious growth targets. To ensure success, a food policy must also integrate the entire value chain from farm to fork.”In crafting the food policy, “we should not lose sight of the fact that we have a lot to be proud of in Canada,” she said. “We have some of the safest food in the world and the made in Canada food brand is globally recognized and for good reason. We need to know our starting point before developing a policy to understand where we're at and where we're going.”It's not possible to put all the information about the origin and nutritional value of food product on its label, she said. FCPC has introduced a system called SmartLabel, which consumers can use to do further research products online.She said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recognizes “that most Canadians get their nutritional information online and digitally, and so we should regulate for tomorrow not today.”FCPC launched a program in partnership with Health Canada five years ago to educate consumers on the nutrition facts table because the department “determined that there was a gap there and people did not quite understand.”While the program was successful, it was cancelled by the department when it began formulating the warning labels proposals, she said.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.