BANFF, Alta. – A Canadian barley food coalition wants barley recognized as a healthy choice on nutrition labels.
The coalition, made up of 30 supporters from universities, industry associations, government and processors, wants Health Canada to harmonize Canadian claims with the United States where statements are allowed touting barley in food products as an important source of beta glucan and fibre for coronary health. The U.S. claims were supported with Canadian data.
“If they can do that in the States using Canadian data, why the heck can’t we do it in Canada?” said Andrew Raphael, a director of agrifood with Meyers Norris Penny working with the coalition.
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Modern consumers are looking for new ways to improve their diets, he told the Alberta Barley Commission annual meeting in Banff Dec. 7.
“People are looking to get healthy with their food,” he said.
Barley-based products already exist in food such as the beverage Ovaltine. In Japan, barley is popular in tea, soup, noodles and as a rice extender and shochu, a distilled spirit. It is also used in pet and fish food and kitty litter.
“There are a lot of opportunities in terms of products for international markets,” Raphael said.
“We have to transition from an anonymous ingredient to a branded Alberta product.”
People may not pay more for a product containing barley but if they know it is better for them, they may select it over other items at the grocery store.
More consumers are voting with their shopping carts seeking healthy food choices to prevent heart disease, cancer and obesity, said John Dean, recently retired from Agricore United and now with a Winnipeg communications company. While at Agricore, he worked on the development of NuLin, a high omega 3 flaxseed, as well as oat and barley varieties high in beta glucan.
Joining with food processors is the first step.
For example, Becel margarine wanted omega 3 levels in linola reduced because the manufacturer was concerned about stability of the product. Times have changed and the company now offers a new product with enhanced levels of omega 3.
With information about diets, people are learning about the effects of the glycemic index, trans fats and good and bad carbohydrates.
The glycemic index is a system developed by a Toronto doctor to determine the rate at which glucose enters the blood stream. If glucose is not burned, it is stored as excess fat. Highly processed white flour and boiled potatoes have high GI levels, which mean more fat is created, while popcorn, oats, pulses and barley are at low levels on the index.
Nutrition facts labels have been developed in Canada and the U.S. so consumers can check what is in a product and make a decision. However Canada lags behind in promoting some health claims, Dean said.
“We tend to be slow adopters,” he said.
Some groups have gone beyond what is required on the labels.
The Whole Grains Council in the U.S. is developing labels so people can determine if a product contains whole grain as opposed to whole wheat. Whole grain must contain all the parts of the grain.
The Canadian situation is impeded by processors who said they cannot make a good bread loaf with the whole grain.
There are some advances.
People are more aware of the effects of trans fats. These artery-clogging fats are being removed from the food chain even though they improved the taste of products and lengthened shelf life.
“Trans fats are the nutritional villains in the list of nasties,” Dean said.
Snack food processors were among the first to get rid of trans fats from their products.
People also need to learn more about carbohydrates because not all are bad, especially the complex ones. But the simple carbohydrates include sugars and can lead to obesity, diabetes, cancer and other serious ailments.
“The consumer ought to be speaking out loud and clear. They seem to be very savvy about trans fats but there seems to be a slow understanding about simple carbohydrates,” he said.
