March is Nutrition Month, and this year's theme, "Nourish to Flourish," highlights the role that good nutrition plays in supporting overall health and well-being.
If you're looking to establish healthier eating habits, Canada's food guide offers a science-based starting point, with practical tips for meal planning, cooking at home, and enjoying food as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Even with good information, making healthy food choices can sometimes be challenging with the wide variety of options available to us. To help address this, Health Canada provides tools to make those choices easier. The new front-of-package nutrition symbol guides shoppers to quickly identify foods high in saturated fat, sugars or sodium, as these nutrients can increase the risk of various diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The Government of Canada is also supporting healthy eating through broader, community-based efforts. Working with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners, Canada's National School Food Program gives more students access to food at school, helps them learn valuable food skills, and strengthens partnerships with communities through culturally-appropriate, relevant and inclusive programming. After all, nutritious food fuels learning and helps kids thrive.
In addition, Health Canada is taking steps to support families by helping ensure a stable supply of infant formula, following supply disruptions in recent years. For some families, reliable access to safe and nutritious infant formula is essential. To strengthen supply, I recently signed a Ministerial Order for Foods for Special Dietary Use, including infant formula, which allows the government to prioritize and regulate the availability of these products for families who need them.
The Government of Canada is also making groceries more affordable by introducing the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit-formerly the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Credit-and increasing it by 25% for five years, beginning in July 2026. In addition, we are providing a one-time payment, equivalent to a 50% increase this year. Together, these changes will result in a family of four receiving up to $1,890 this year and about $1,400 a year for the next four years, while a single person will receive up to $950 this year, and about $700 a year for the next four years.
Finally, as part of our commitment to working with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples to develop distinction-based healthy eating tools, Health Canada has supported British Columbia and its partners Sanala Planning Inc. and I∙SPARC to engage with Indigenous health champions and organizations to develop Indigenous-led tools. This was followed by the launch of the virtual First Peoples Food Wellness Hub, in January 2026, dedicated to highlighting and centering traditional foods and practices.
Together, these efforts are helping ensure that people across Canada have the information, tools, and supports they need to make healthy food choices for themselves and their families.
The Honourable Marjorie Michel, P.C., M.P.
