Report: Healthy Food Mandates in Canada Erode Lunch Sales

Foodservice management companies serving the school market in in Canada are reporting sales losses of 10 to 30 percent in regions where junk foods like candy, soda and deep-fried offerings have been banned from the lunchroom, according to an investigative report by the Globe & Mail newspaper. The sales are being lost to businesses located near schools that are increasingly adding kid-friendly take-out options like pizza.

Three Canadian provinces—British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick—have mandatory guidelines that prohibit trans fats and require reduced sugar and sodium in the foods that are sold on campus, while Quebec prohibits the sale of deep-fried items and sodas. Schools in Ontario, the largest province, face a September 2011 deadline to comply with similar mandates.