Following healthy food guidelines in Canada comes at a high cost, study finds – CTV
October 12, 2025
MONTREAL — A recent study out of Laval University finds many foods that are high in sodium and sugar on Canadian shelves are much cheaper than healthier, equivalent options.
The lead author said she hopes the findings could prompt meaningful action at the political level to reduce health inequalities caused by high food prices in the country.
“Someone who has the means can perhaps afford to make changes to the foods they’re used to eating and opt for something that may be a little more expensive but is more nutritious, but we know that’s not the case for everyone,” said Isabelle Petitclerc, also a PhD candidate in nutrition at the university.
The study was published in the journal Public Health Nutrition in August.
The researchers involved analyzed over 2,000 products using parameters associated with Health Canada’s “high-in” nutrition label — which is used in food packaging to indicate when a product has high levels of a certain ingredient — to separate healthy foods from unhealthy ones. The team then looked at which products were the cheapest.
