CFG is intended for healthy Canadians 2 years of age and older. Eating according to the food guide promotes overall health and nutritional well-being and can help Canadians reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Health Canada acknowledges that individuals with specific dietary requirements, including those receiving care in a clinical setting, may need additional guidance or specialized advice from a dietitian.

Policymakers, health professionals, and institutions also use CFG to develop nutrition policies, programs, and resources; to inform menu planning in public institutions such as day cares, schools, hospitals, and long-term care facilities; and to teach about healthy eating.

Since the release of the updated food guide in 2019, Health Canada has developed new tools and resources, including:

• Additional information to support health professionals and policymakers in applying the dietary guidelines to help ensure dietary needs of individuals and populations are met
• A toolkit for educators with activities designed for students ages 4 through 11 
  A food guide friendly initiative involving the development of actions post-secondary institutions and recreation settings can take to improve their food environment

Health Canada continues to monitor the evidence from credible scientific sources and will update Canada’s dietary guidelines as needed. Learn more about the revision process and how to register for updates from Health Canada.

Health professionals in British Columbia can learn more about the food guide and earn credits by completing the  Beyond Nutrition: Talking About Food and Eating online course. The course is offered through UBC’s Continuing Professional Development unit and was authored by food and nutrition professionals across the province.

Health professionals are encouraged to use and refer to the 2019 food guide. Canada's Dietary Guidelines, Applying Canada's Dietary Guidelines, the healthy eating resources and Health Canada's resources available for download may support their work.

Key messages for use with patients and clients can be drawn from Health Canada's healthy eating recommendations, which were developed with extensive focus testing and advice of experts in literacy and communication.

Use of the 2007 food guide may be appropriate in some instances where more detailed information is needed, such as menu planning.  As the new food guide is less prescriptive than previous versions, additional guidance is needed to support menu planning and evaluation for public institutions and other settings with people living in care. Assisted living residences, licensed residential care facilities, and child care facilities may continue to use the 2007 food guide for menu planning until revised nutrition standards and implementation resources are available.

Yes, lower fat dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and cheeses are nutritious and can be part of a healthy eating pattern. Dairy products are sources of protein, calcium, and some are also sources of vitamin D. Previous iterations of CFG had “milk and alternatives” as a separate food group. Food groups are no longer applicable in the 2019 CFG. Instead, dairy products are part of the “protein foods” grouping.  

Calcium and vitamin D intake recommendations across the lifespan have not changed with the 2019 food guide.

Sources of calcium include dairy products and fortified soy beverage. Dairy products include things like unsweetened lower fat (0-2% MF)* milk and yogurt, and cheese that's lower in fat and sodium. These foods, which were previously in the “Milk and Alternatives” food group, are now listed under “protein foods” and are considered nutritious foods that can be consumed regularly. Calcium and your health lists a variety of other foods that also contribute calcium to the diet.

Vitamin D is found naturally in very few foods, including fatty fish, liver, and egg yolks. Mostly, vitamin D from the food supply is in fortified foods, including milk and margarine. The addition of vitamin D to yogurt and plant-based beverages is voluntary.

Health Canada recommends individuals aged 2-50 have food sources of vitamin D daily or take a daily supplement with 400IU (10 µg). Adults aged 51+ are recommended to take a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IU (10µg) in addition to eating food sources of vitamin D.

The BC Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines provide tips to support adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D for children 0-6 years.

*Note: The recommendation for lower fat dairy is to help reduce the amount of saturated fat, not total fat, in the diet.

Health Canada recommends eating plant-based foods more often. As a healthy eating pattern can include both animal and plant-based foods, the food guide does not specifically recommend following a vegetarian or vegan diet, although these diets may also align with Health Canada's guidance.

Health Canada recommends shifting intakes towards more plant-based foods as:

• Replacing some animal-based protein foods with plant-based protein foods can have positive effects on health and may reduce the risk of developing some chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. This is because eating plant-based foods regularly can mean eating more fibre and less saturated fat.
• There is evidence supporting a lesser environmental impact of dietary patterns that are higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods.

Animal-based protein foods can still be part of healthy eating.

Each person’s nutrient and energy requirements are different and based on a variety of factors including age, activity level, body size, health status, and genetics. The 2019 food guide provides a flexible approach to healthy eating guidance, focusing on proportionality of foods, rather than number and size of servings.

The food guide snapshot shows the proportion of foods that can be used to build healthy meals:

• 1/2 of the plate as vegetables and fruit (fresh, frozen, canned, or dried)
• 1/4 of the plate as whole grains, and
• 1/4 of the plate as protein foods (encourages eating plant-based protein foods more often)

The new approach to Canada’s food guide recognizes that healthy eating is also about how we eat. Among its recommendations it includes being mindful of eating habits, which encourages awareness of hunger and fullness cues rather than focusing on a prescriptive amount of food.
Note: The size and amount of each food on the snapshot is not intending to show how much of them to eat at one time. The snapshot plate visual is not meant to be prescriptive and the food images are simply examples. 

Applying Canada’s dietary guidelines includes advice on nutrition for different life stages including considerations for children and adolescents, while pregnant, and during breastfeeding. Healthy eating guidance for different life stages (e.g. teens, adults, seniors) can also be found under Tips for healthy eating.

As the food guide is intended for Canadians 2 years of age and older, it does not provide guidance for infants and toddlers. Health Canada provides recommendations for healthy term infants and toddlers from birth to 24 months of age in Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants (2014). These guidelines are currently under review.

Health professionals in B.C. can also refer to the BC Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines (Birth to Six Years). These have been updated against the 2019 food guide.  

In addition to English and French, the snapshot is available in 29 different languages languages and is available for ordering from the Health Canada website. All other food guide tools and resources have been translated into French.

Cultural adaptations are not being considered at this time. Health Canada has strived to build cultural diversity into the 2019 food guide.

The 2019 food guide was developed to be relevant to all Canadians and inclusive of Indigenous peoples. Additionally, Health Canada and Indigenous Services Canada are committed to working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to support development of additional relevant healthy eating tools.

In B.C., work is underway to support the Indigenous-led determination and development of distinct and diverse tools/resources for food-related wellness for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Provincial policies, guidelines and resources continue to be reviewed for alignment with the 2019 food guide and revisions to reflect the new guidance will be considered when they are updated.

Until notified, operators of residential care facilities may continue to provide menus based on the 2007 Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide. This will be considered in compliance with the current nutrition standards outlined in the Residential Care Regulation.

The Residential Care Regulation under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act references the "current edition" of Canada's food guide, which is used by facility operators to identify menu plan requirements to meet their residents' nutrition needs. Since Health Canada updated Canada's food guide in January 2019, many operators have asked what changes they need to make to their menus to continue meeting the regulations. Operators will not be asked to make changes to their menus until the Province has updated the supporting resources, Audits and More and Meals and More, for alignment with the 2019 food guide. For more information, see "Key Messages – Canada's New Food Guide, Licensed Residential Care Facilities."

Until notified, operators of assisted living residences may continue to provide menus based on the 2007 Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide. This will be considered in compliance with the current nutrition standards outlined in the Assisted Living Regulation.

The Assisted Living Regulation under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act reference the "current edition" of Canada's food guide, which is used by residence operators to identify menu plan requirements to meet their residents' nutrition needs. Since Health Canada updated Canada's food guide in January 2019, many operators have asked what changes they need to make to their menus to continue meeting the regulations. Operators will not be asked to make changes to their menus until the Province has updated the supporting resource, Meals and More, for alignment with the 2019 food guide. For more information, see "Key messages – Canada's new food guide, assisted living residences."

Until notified, operators of licensed child care facilities may continue to provide menus based on the 2007 Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide. This will be considered in compliance with the current nutrition standards outlined in the Child Care Licensing Regulation.

The Child Care Licensing Regulation (the regulation) under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act sets the nutrition standards in all licensed child care facilities. Since Health Canada updated Canada's food guide in January 2019, many operators have asked what changes they need to make to their menus to continue to meet the regulation. Operators will not be asked to make changes to their menus until the Province has provided further menu planning guidance in alignment with the 2019 food guide. However, for aspects of healthy eating advice beyond menu planning, use of the 2019 food guide is encouraged. The Appetite to Play website has been updated to reflect this messaging and will be the best source to receive ongoing updates on implementation of Canada's food guide within child care facilities.

Health Canada’s Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion did not meet with food and beverage industry representatives during the policy development of the 2019 food guide. Online public consultations were open to all stakeholders, including industry.  Learn more about Health Canada’s consultation policies: 

• Transparency of stakeholder communications for healthy eating initiatives (Government of Canada)

The 2019 food guide was developed as a digital-first resource, with online tools and resources. This approach is part of the Government of Canada's commitment to decreasing its carbon footprint.

Currently, selected food guide resources are available in hard copy. You can order hard copies of the Food guide snapshot and educational posters through the Health Canada Publications website.

The following additional resources are available for download in a printer-friendly (PDF) format:

• Canada's Dietary Guidelines
• Healthy eating recommendations
• Recipes (individual recipes are available in PDF format)

• Evidence including the Evidence Review for Dietary Guidance 2015 and the Foods, Nutrients, and Health: Interim Evidence Update 2018

  For individuals who are unable to access printer-friendly resources through Health Canada's website, HealthLink BC offers individual print copies of the snapshot and healthy eating recommendations. Please call 8-1-1 to access Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC for more information.

• Canada's food guide 'pull-up' banners and displays - Print files for the 'pull-up' banners/displays can be made available upon request. Please contact nutrition@hc-sc.gc.ca if you are interested in printing these files.
• Canada's food guide snapshot - PDF files for the snapshot and the postcard among other resources can be found on the CFG website. Print files for professional printing of the Canada's food guide 'snapshot' can be made available upon request to Health Canada. Please submit the Application for Copyright Clearance on Health Canada Works if you are interested in printing these files.

For more information on the revision process for Canada's food guide or development of new tools and resources, please refer to Health Canada's website or contact Health Canada at nutrition@hc-sc.gc.ca.

For more information about healthy eating, contact a HealthLink BC registered dietitian from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, by calling 8-1-1, or 7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing. Translation services are available in over 130 languages. HealthLink BC's registered dietitians offer web-based, telephone and email services to provide nutrition information, education and counselling to B.C. residents and health professionals.