Food labels Canada 2026 just made your favorite snacks guilty pleasures official. Cameron Smith from UBC explains the new mandatory front-of-package warnings that flag high sodium, saturated fat, and sugar before you even flip the box around. Shane admits picking up a favorite product only to see the label and thinking it ruined everything. But here's the tension: is there actual delight in not knowing what you're eating, or does that ignorance create the health problems doctors keep asking about?

Cameron breaks down how Health Canada created interpretive labels that eliminate nutrition facts table confusion. Instead of calculating percentages of daily values across confusing serving sizes, consumers get instant warnings when products exceed national thresholds. The Chile policy model proves the concept works with 20 to 30% purchase reductions after three years when combined with school food regulations and marketing restrictions to kids. Manufacturers now face reformulation pressure as consumers compare identical products side by side where one has warnings and one doesn't.

Discover which foods earn exemptions like single ingredient raw meats and protective items including yogurt without added sugar. Learn why tiny candy bars escape individual labels but trigger warnings on multipacks. Understand how budget constraints expose the uncomfortable truth that some people eat for calories and energy rather than nutrition optimization.

GUEST: Cameron Smith | https://news.ubc.ca/2026/01/new-front-of-package-nutrition-labels-in-canada/

Originally aired on 2026-01-15