juice

Health Canada is considering scrapping fruit juices from its healthy dietary choices category under Canada’s Food Guide.

Currently, the department is in the process of reviewing the evidence base for its current guidance to Canadians.

The department said in a statement: "Depending on the conclusions of the scientific review, guidance for consumption of various foods, including juice, could be updated in the future."

The Food Guide is responsible for identifying the kinds of food and the amount that are safe to be consumed.

The World Health Organization has recommended that people should limit consumption of free sugars that include sugar in honey, syrups and fruit juices to a maximum of 10 per cent of daily calories with an ideal limit of 5%.

Health campaigners have been calling for the removal of fruit juices from the guide owing to their high calories and sugar content.

Bariatric Medical Institute medical director Yoni Freedhoff who has been calling for the removal of juices from the guide was quoted by the Canadian Press as saying: "Juice enjoys a totally undeserved health halo that in part, no doubt, is due to the fact our Food Guide still says that juice is a fruit equivalent, even though it isn’t.

"Drop for drop, it has the same number of calories … as Coca-Cola. In some cases, it has more. So grape juice is double the sugar, double the calories."

Currently, the Food Guide recommends that adult Canadians consume between seven to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day, depending on their age and gender.

Children and teens are recommended to consume between four to eight servings a day.

Image: Health campaigners have been calling for the removal of fruit juices from the guide. Photo: courtesy of Boykung/freedigitalphotos.net.