July 20, 2015

BY EMAIL

Mr. Taylor Wright

Taylorjohn.wright@gmail.com

Dear Mr. Wright,

Thank you for your email regarding the Making Healthier Choices Act (Bill 45). I appreciate the time you
have taken to write and share your concerns with me, and I am pleased to take this opportunity to respond.
Our government is committed to the health of all Ontarians and is creating a supportive environment that
would make it easier for Ontarians to choose healthy food choices.
Bill 45 requires only calories to be posted on menus as this is most closely aligned with Ontarios
commitment to reduce overweight and obesity in children since calorie consumption is the major
determinant of weight. There is research that indicates that providing too much information on the menu can
be confusing to consumers and the proposed approach balances the need for information without
overwhelming consumers.
Bill 45 includes regulation-making authority that allows our government to require the posting of other
nutrients (including sodium or sugar) at a later date, if desired. This is consistent with the approach taken in
other jurisdictions (e.g., U.S. Food and Drug Administration federal menu labelling legislation only includes
calories to be posted on menus). The Ministry of Health will continue to monitor trends, research and other
jurisdictions to continually assess the evidence base for expanding the nutritional information to be posted on
menus.
The legislation applies to food service premises with 20 or more locations in Ontario who are selling or
serving prepared standard food and beverage items. It would not apply to small operators with a handful of
locations who may be financially challenged in meeting the requirements of the legislation.
We recognize that this legislation may have an economic impact on the restaurant and bar industry. Small
operators would be challenged to standardize their recipes, test their menu items for nutritional content, and
change menus to reflect the addition of calorie information. Over 60 per cent of larger chain restaurants
already provide nutritional information voluntarily to their customers (upon demand, on websites, in store,
etc. but not on menus or menu boards).

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-2This legislation does apply to alcohol, as calories found in alcohol are part of an individuals daily caloric
intake and alcoholic beverages can contain a significant amount of calories. Food service premises with 20 or
more locations in Ontario that are captured by the menu labelling legislation will be required to provide
calorie information for the alcoholic beverages that they offer for sale on their menus.
You will be pleased to know that on May 28 Bill 45 received Royal Assent. The effective date of January 1,
2017 will provide industry with approximately 12 months to comply from the time the regulations are
finalized and publically communicated.
Once again, thank you for writing. Please do not hesitate to contact me at my Community Office at any time
to share your thoughts and concerns. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,

Yasir Naqvi, MPP

Ottawa Centre