Food Mail Program

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) is proposing to make all fruit-flavoured drinks and sweetened juice ineligible for shipment under the Food Mail Program, effective January 1, 2004. The proposed change will simplify the program and focus more of the program funding on healthier alternatives, and is based on the latest evidence regarding the adverse effects of added sugars in the diet.

This notice of intent will provide an opportunity for food wholesalers, retailers, northern consumers, Canada Post officials, nutritionists, healthcare providers, Aboriginal organizations, consumer organizations, affected provincial and territorial governments and any other individuals, businesses or organizations with an interest in the program to express their views about this proposed change before a final decision is made about these products. Those wishing to do so are invited to send written submissions to any of the following addresses by November 14, 2003:

Food Mail Program
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
Room 950, 10 Wellington Street
OTTAWA ON K1A 0H4

fax: (819) 994-6769
e-mail: foodmail@ainc-inac.gc.ca

Canada Post will notify its Food Mail customers 30 days before the effective date of any change in product eligibility. The final decision about these products will also be posted on the INAC Web site.

Current situation

Fruit-flavoured drinks with at least 25 percent juice or with vitamin C added (fresh, frozen, bottled, canned, or in Tetra Paks or similar containers) are eligible for shipment under the Food Mail Program at the rates applicable to Non-perishable Food (i.e., $1.00 per kilogram in the provinces, and $2.15 per kilogram in the territories, plus $0.75 per parcel). Fruit drink crystals with vitamin C added are also eligible for shipment at these rates.

While there was some nutritional justification for these distinctions when the current eligibility rules were adopted in October 1991, they are complicated for wholesalers, retailers and Canada Post officials to observe and enforce. In recent years, some food processors have stopped adding vitamin C to frozen fruit drinks that are 25 percent juice as sold, and the variety of juices and drinks on the market has increased enormously.

Proposed change

INAC is proposing to remove all fruit-flavoured drinks (fresh, frozen, bottled, canned or in Tetra Paks or similar containers), as well as sweetened juice, from the Food Mail Program, while leaving fruit drink crystals with vitamin C added eligible for shipment as Non-perishable Food.

Frozen fruit drinks that contain 25 percent juice when sold as concentrate would contain less than 7 percent juice when reconstituted and consumed. However, removing only frozen fruit drinks from the program would encourage the shipment and consumption of ready-to-serve fruit drinks, thereby increasing the cost of the Food Mail Program, since fruit drinks weigh much more when shipped in this form. Fruit drinks - even those with 25 percent juice or added vitamins - are a less nutritious choice than fruit juice. Removing them from the program altogether is expected to increase the price of these products, making fruit juice a cheaper, healthier alternative to fruit drinks. Fruit drinks will have to be sent by regular air cargo, or in non-perishable form by marine service during the summer or on winter roads.

Most fruit juice is unsweetened. However, INAC is also proposing to remove sweetened fruit juices and sweetened vegetable juices from the program. This change is intended to encourage people to choose unsweetened juice and, as explained below, to make it easier for businesses and consumers to distinguish between eligible and ineligible products.

Although fruit drink crystals with vitamin C added are also a less nutritious choice than fruit juice, INAC is proposing to continue to accept fruit drink crystals with vitamin C added as eligible Non-perishable Food, since they are a better choice than crystals without vitamin C added. While fruit drinks crystals with or without vitamin C added are normally shipped by marine service or winter roads, retailers will still be able to receive those with vitamin C added at a subsidized rate when they run out of these products. Lower prices for drink crystals with vitamin C added should help to encourage consumers to make the better choice among fruit drink crystals.

Will this not encourage people to drink more pop?

Not likely. If fruit drinks and sweetened juice become more expensive, people are more likely to replace them with unsweetened juice rather than pop. Juice is less expensive than pop and more similar to fruit drinks.

How will this affect the retail price of fruit drinks?

The effect will vary from one community to another, depending upon the air cargo rates to various communities, whether the community is in the territories or the provinces, whether retailers currently use the Food Mail Program for fruit drinks in various forms, and how they choose to pass on their cost increase to consumers. For example, if a retailer in a community in the territories with an air cargo rate of $5.00 per kilogram is currently using the Food Mail Program to bring in 1.89 L jugs of fruit drink (at a rate of $2.15 per kilogram plus $0.75 per parcel), the air transportation cost on this product would increase by about $5.50 ($2.91 per L). For a community in the provinces with the same air cargo rate, the transportation cost for this product would increase by about $7.80 ($4.13 per L), since the current rate is only $1.00 per kilogram plus $0.75 per parcel. In both cases, retailers may choose to increase their selling price by more or less than these amounts. They may also decide to sell juice rather than fruit drinks.

Will this change in eligibility reduce the cost of the Food Mail Program?

That will depend upon how retailers and consumers respond to the change. If retailers continue to order and sell the same amounts of fruit drinks but bring them in by air cargo rather than under the Food Mail Program, the cost of the program will be reduced. However, if they order and sell juice instead, the program cost would increase. Most likely there will be a mix of responses. The objective of the proposed change is not to reduce the program cost, but rather to make sure that Food Mail Program dollars are focussed on the most nutritious alternatives in each category, encouraging consumers to make healthy choices.

How do you distinguish between juice and fruit drinks?

This distinction is necessary with the current rules on product eligibility, and can be confusing at times.

Juice and juice concentrates are labelled as such in the primary display panel on the product. Juice made from concentrate qualifies for the same rates as juice not from concentrate.

Fruit drinks normally have labels such as "juice beverage," "juice cocktail," or "fruit punch". The main ingredients are water, sugar (e.g., glucose-fructose), juice concentrate and sometimes juice not made from concentrate. Expressions such as "made with real juice" and "contains real juice" do not mean that the product qualifies as juice. In many cases, the percentage of juice they contain is not indicated on the label.

Some fruit and vegetable juices have sugar added. Under the proposed rules, juices with sugar added, as well as all fruit drinks, will be eliminated from the program. Businesses and consumers will only have to check the list of ingredients, and if sugar of any type is listed as an ingredient, they will know the product is not eligible. The list of ingredients, not the nutrition label, will determine whether the juice is eligible or not. Check whether any kind of added sugar, such as glucose, fructose, sucrose or dextrose, is one of the ingredients. The nutrition label may indicate the amount of sugar per serving. However, that includes naturally occurring sugar and will not determine whether the product is eligible for the program.

While the term "cocktail" is often used for fruit drinks, it can also be used to describe blends or mixtures of fruit or vegetable juices that would qualify as juice. Vegetable juice cocktails are most often sold in plastic or glass bottles or in cans, and in these containers would be considered Non-perishable Food for the purposes of the Food Mail Program, provided that they do not have added sugar. "Cocktails" that are blends of juice and milk will also be eligible, provided that they have no added sugar.

Blends of juices qualify as juice, whether made from concentrate or not. However, to qualify, they must consist entirely of juice, with the possible addition of fruit or vegetable purée. Products that are "made with" or "contain" a mixture or blend of juices are most likely to be fruit drinks and to have added sugar.

What about nectars?

Apricot, peach, pear and prune nectars contain higher amounts of solids than juices. Their contents are regulated under the Food and Drugs Regulations and the Processed Products Regulations. For the purposes of the Food Mail Program, they are treated the same as juice.

Some food processors, however, use the term "nectar" for sweetened fruit drinks that will not be eligible for the program.

Why are fruit juices more nutritious than fruit drinks with added vitamins?

Although fruit juice contains a substantial amount of naturally occurring sugar, it is a nutritious food. Half a cup (125 mL) of fruit juice counts as one serving of fruit. Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating for People Four Years and Over recommends five to ten servings of vegetables and fruit per day. Fruit drinks with vitamin C added may have as much vitamin C as fruit juice and may have beta-carotene added as well, but they do not have the folate, flavanoids and other micronutrients found in juice. For example, a cup of orange juice made from frozen concentrate contains 110 mcg of folate, while a cup of fruit punch drink made from frozen concentrate contains only 1 mcg of folate. Some fruit juices have some fibre as well. Fruit drinks provide energy, mostly from the large amounts of sugar added to them, but are being used as an inferior substitute for juice. Therefore, INAC, acting on advice from Health Canada, is proposing to designate them as Foods of Little Nutritional Value for the purposes of the Food Mail Program, thereby removing them from the program.

Is it reasonable to consider treat all fruit drinks and sweetened juice as Foods of Little Nutritional Value, just like pop and chocolate bars?

In treating fruit drinks with 25 percent juice or vitamin C added as eligible Non-perishable Foods since 1991, it was recognized that they had some nutritional value in addition to the energy they provided, mostly from added sugar, and are a better choice than pop. However, focussing the Food Mail Program funding on unsweetened juice rather than fruit drinks and sweetened juice will encourage people to make a healthier choice among products that most consumers consider to be similar.

Is high sugar consumption a public health concern?

An international group of experts has recently recommended an intake of less than 10 percent of energy from "free sugars", to help prevent diet-related chronic diseases.¹ The Canadian Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes obtain no more than 10 percent of energy from added sugars.² American and Canadian experts, however, have suggested a "maximal intake of 25 percent or less of energy from added sugars ... based on ensuring sufficient intakes of essential micronutrients that are not present in foods and beverages that contain added sugar."³

There is convincing evidence that increased amounts and frequency of free sugars in the diet lead to an increase in dental caries, especially when there is not adequate exposure to fluoride, which is generally the case in the North.⁴ The Canadian Dental Association states that sugar is one of the main causes of dental problems and advises people to look for fruit juices and drinks with no added sugar.⁵

Nutrition surveys conducted in isolated northern communities have confirmed that the consumption of sugar and sweets is high.⁶ Obesity, diabetes and dental caries are major health concerns in these communities. Although fruit drinks and sweetened juice account for only a small part of the added sugar in northern diets, eliminating them from the Food Mail Program may reduce the consumption of these products and will also help in nutrition education about sugar consumption in these communities.

Is low fruit and vegetable consumption a public health concern?

Nutrition surveys conducted in isolated northern communities over the past ten years have found that the average consumption of fruits and vegetables among Aboriginal women of child-bearing age ranges from about half a serving to two and a half servings. As noted above, Health Canada recommends five to ten servings per day, as does the Canadian Cancer Society. An international group of experts has recently recommended consuming 400 to 500 grams of fresh fruits and vegetables per day to reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure and at least 400 grams per day of total fruits and vegetables to reduce the risk of developing cancer. One of the main goals of the Food Mail Program is to encourage fruit and vegetable consumption. This would include unsweetened juices.

Will similar arguments be used to remove other foods from the program in the future?

That is a possibility. However, INAC will continue to honour its commitment to consult stakeholders before making major decisions about the program, including changes in the eligibility of various products.

The following list of links provides you with sources of information that relate to Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). External hyper links are provided by INAC for the convenience of our readers and do not constitute any warranty by INAC of the accuracy of the documents to which such hyper links are connected. Some of the following sites originate with organizations not subject to the Official Languages Act and are made available on this site in the language in which they were written only as a convenience to the public.

INAC is not responsible for the information found on external sites.

These links do not imply official approval or endorsement of the sites, the host organizations or their sponsors.

By clicking on these links you are leaving a Government of Canada Site.

¹ Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases , WHO Technical Report Series, 916 (Geneva: World Health Organization, 2003), p. 56. The term "free sugar" refers to all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices.

² Canadian Diabetes Association , Nutrition in the New Millennium, Diabetes Dialogue, Spring 2000.

³ Panel on Macronutrients, Panel on the Definition of Dietary Fiber, Subcommittee on Upper Reference Levels of Nutrients, Subcommittee on Interpretation and Uses of Dietary Reference Intakes, and the Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes, Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids (Washington: The National Academies Press, 2002), p. 11-2.

⁴ Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases , WHO Technical Report Series, 916 (Geneva: World Health Organization, 2003), pp. 116-119.

⁵ Canadian Dental Association .

⁶ J. Lawn, An Update on Nutrition Surveys in Isolated Northern Communities (Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2002), Tables 7 and 8.

⁷ Based on information collected between 1992 and 1997 in communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, Labrador and Ontario for which data are presented in J. Lawn, An Update on Nutrition Surveys in Isolated Northern Communities (Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 2002), and on nutrition surveys conducted in Kugaaruk, Nunavut and Kangiqsujuq, Quebec in 2001 and 2002, respectively, to collect baseline data for the Food Mail Pilot Projects under way in these communities. The average daily consumption of fruit and vegetables in these surveys ranged from approximately 55 grams to 300 grams, excluding fruits and vegetables in miscellaneous combination foods such as frozen pizza and pasta sauce with meat.

⁸ Canadian Cancer Society .

⁹ Joint WHO/FAO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases , Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases, WHO Technical Report Series, 916 (Geneva: World Health Organization, 2003), pp. 89 and 101. Since this group also recommended that potatoes should not be included in the category of fruits and vegetables (p. 58), it is assumed that these recommended amounts exclude potatoes.

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