Find out more about Health Check

Some healthy choices are easy, but many are not. There is so much to choose from on grocery store shelves and in restaurants that it can be overwhelming. There are tools that can help you eat well including the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Health Check symbol. This article explains what this symbol means and how you can use it as a guide in grocery stores and restaurants. 

What does Health Check do?

Health Check provides education and guidance on how to make healthy choices in grocery stores and restaurants. The Health Check logo on grocery products and restaurant menus can help you identify healthy choices. Each Health Check item meets specific criteria developed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Registered Dietitians. The criteria are based on recommendations in Canada's Food Guide.  

The Health Check program is voluntary. Because not all food companies and restaurants participate in the program there are also many healthy choices without the Health Check symbol. Use the Nutrition Facts table on packaged foods to compare different products. When you’re dining out ask restaurants for nutrition information. For help with how to read nutrition labels, watch this five part video series on nutrition labeling.

How it works

Food companies and restaurants submit products and menu items to be analyzed. If the products meet the nutrient criteria, they can join the program and display the Health Check symbol on the package or menu. Health Check works directly with food companies and restaurants to improve the food supply and challenges them to develop more healthy choices.

Health Check criteria

Registered Dietitians and other nutrition experts developed Health Check’s nutrient criteria for a variety of food categories for both restaurants (e.g., appetizer, soups, small and large entrées, etc.) and grocery stores (e.g., breakfast cereals, milk and milk based drinks, seasoned meat and poultry, etc.). They are based on the best available science.  Different foods need to meet different criteria. In general, here are the nutrients that must meet Health Check’s criteria:

• Total fat, saturated fat and trans fat
• Fibre
• Sodium
• Sugar
• Protein
• Vitamins and minerals

If you would like to find out more details about the criteria that Health Check uses to assess products, please see this document.

Health Check is evolving

The Health Check program, including the nutrient criteria, will continue to change to encourage restaurants and food companies to develop healthier products for Canadians. In the past two years, Health Check has made the nutrient criteria stricter. Here are some examples:

• Reduced sodium requirements by at least 25% in a number of food groups and up to 70% in others. This includes restaurant entrees.
• Introduced criteria for sugar for grocery products.
• Introduced criteria that almost eliminates trans fats (and meet Health Canada recommendations).
• Reduced the amount of fat allowed per item.
• Increased amount of fibre required per item.

Health Check is the only non-profit and independent food information program in the country. The modest fees paid by participating companies are used to run the program and develop healthy eating resources for Canadians.

Bottom line:

Healthy eating is one of the most important things you can do to improve your overall health. Whether you are at home or dining out, you can make choices that will help you lower your risk of heart disease.

The Health Check program is a tool that you can use to make healthier choices when grocery shopping or dining out. Because it is a voluntary program and not all healthy foods will have a Health Check symbol, use it along with other healthy eating tools like Canada’s Food Guide and reading the Nutrition Facts table to compare products.   

For more information on the Health Check program, participating restaurants and grocery products, as well as healthy eating information, recipes and more please visit healthcheck.org.

If you have questions about how to look for healthy choices in the grocery store or restaurants, or have questions about the Health Check program, call 1-877-510-510-2 to speak to an EatRight Ontario Registered Dietitian or send an email.