Policies to Create Healthier Food Environments in Canada: Experts’ Evaluation and Prioritized Actions Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI)

Vanderlee, Lana; Goorang, Sahar; Karbasy, Kimiya; Vandevijvere, Stefanie; L’Abbé, Mary R

doi:10.3390/ijerph16224473

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Policies to Create Healthier Food Environments in Canada: Experts’ Evaluation and Prioritized Actions Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI)

Lana Vanderlee

^1,2,*

Sahar Goorang

¹,

Kimiya Karbasy

¹,

Stefanie Vandevijvere

^3,4 and

Mary R L’Abbé

Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada

School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada

School of Population Health, The University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand

⁴

Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano (Scientific Institute of Public Health), 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(22), 4473; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224473

Received: 16 October 2019 / Revised: 8 November 2019 / Accepted: 11 November 2019 / Published: 14 November 2019

(This article belongs to the Section Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion)

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Abstract

Food environment policies play a critical role in shaping food choices, diets, and health outcomes. This study endeavored to characterize and evaluate the current food environment policies in Canada using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI) to compare policies in place or under development in Canada as of 1 January 2017 to the most promising practices internationally. Evidence of policy implementation from the federal, provincial, and territorial governments was collated and verified by government stakeholders for 47 good practice indicators across 13 policy and infrastructure support domains. Canadian policies were rated by 71 experts from across Canada, and an aggregate score of national and subnational policies was created. Potential policy actions were identified and prioritized. Canadian governments scored ‘high’ compared to best practices for 3 indicators, ‘moderate’ for 14 indicators, ‘low’ for 25 indicators, and ‘very little or none’ for 4 indicators. Six policy and eight infrastructure support actions were prioritized as the most important and achievable. The Food-EPI identified some progress and considerable gaps in policy implementation in Canada, and highlights a particular need for greater attention to prioritized policies that can help to shift to a health-promoting food environment. View Full-Text

Keywords: food environment; food policy; health policy; nutrition

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Vanderlee, L.; Goorang, S.; Karbasy, K.; Vandevijvere, S.; L’Abbé, M.R. Policies to Create Healthier Food Environments in Canada: Experts’ Evaluation and Prioritized Actions Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 4473. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224473

AMA Style

Vanderlee L, Goorang S, Karbasy K, Vandevijvere S, L’Abbé MR. Policies to Create Healthier Food Environments in Canada: Experts’ Evaluation and Prioritized Actions Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(22):4473. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224473

Chicago/Turabian Style

Vanderlee, Lana, Sahar Goorang, Kimiya Karbasy, Stefanie Vandevijvere, and Mary R. L’Abbé. 2019. "Policies to Create Healthier Food Environments in Canada: Experts’ Evaluation and Prioritized Actions Using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI)" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 22: 4473. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224473

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