Making the Canada Food Guide: Behind the Scenes • Dr. Hasan Hutchison • Food Matters Series

Dr. Hasan Hutchison on Making the Canada Food Guide: Behind the Scenes

Sunday, November 17, 2024, 1:30 pm, at the Bowen Island Public Library

This event is part of the Food Matters series, featuring four Bowen Island presenters. This series is presented in partnership by Bowen Island Food Resilience Society & Bowen Island Public Library.

About this Talk

Canada’s first ‘Official Food Rules’ (1942) recommended that all Canadians drink milk and eat a serving of potatoes daily. Over the years, Canada’s food guides have reflected the science and society of their times. Today’s ‘Canada’s Food Guide’ recommends water as the drink of choice and encourages us to be wary of food marketing and to eat without distractions. Dr. Hutchison, former federal Director General, Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, will talk about the behind-the-scenes pressures, difficulties and science in the making of the current Canada’s Food Guide.

About Dr. Hasan Hutchison

As Director General of the Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion at Health Canada for over a decade until his retirement in 2019, Dr. Hutchinson’s had a leadership role in many important public health nutrition initiatives.  These included the development of Canada’s Sodium Reduction Strategy, Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy, the policy for Restricting Advertising to Children, and the current version of Canada’s Food Guide.

Hasan has served in many roles and on many committees exploring better systems for promoting health in Canada.  In addition, he has served as Canada’s representative on many nutrition-related or health-related committees internationally, including at the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, UNESCO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations.

Before working in the public service, Hasan was a faculty member in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University. His formal education includes a PhD in Quantitative Genetics and an ND in Naturopathic Medicine.

In retirement, Hasan continues to serve on the Policy Advisory Group at the World Cancer Research Fund International, on the Advisory Board of the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for Studies in Food Security and on the Board of the Atl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region.  Here on Bowen, he is Project Manager of Bowen Island Food Resilience Society’s Low Hanging Fruit Project and a senior guide at Bowen Island Sea Kayaking.