It looks as if big business wins another one. Tthe smaller supplier in all probability cannot afford the cost of "HEALTH CHECK" In my opinion ONQI appears to be the best overall system. It would be nice if the consumer could win for a change. Well, back to reading the fine print on products. Posted by: Peter Brown | Jan 23, 08 08:17 PM

I have never trusted the Health Check Program, as I did read the interpretation in the little box on the first product I saw that displayed the symbol.Thank you for exposing "Health Check" for what it really is- basically useless. Our best bet in this country is still the nutrition label. Posted by: Karen Howson | Jan 23, 08 09:05 PM

I have never really believed any of the hype as I know it's (sadly) really all about money in the end. To think that Heart and Stroke put the public's health at risk for a few dollars is a real contradiction to what they stand for and I take that very personally! Posted by: Patricia Allen | Jan 24, 08 07:45 AM

For me the issue is not whether the foods are healthy; they are obviously not and nothing I'd ever consider. This is a conflict of interest with the Heart and Stroke Foundation which is mandated to protect health, but really, what they put first and foremost is protecting industry and pharmaceutical sales. Just roll on by, and head to the fresh foods aisle and bulk bins. Instead of teaching your child how to rip open a box, teach them how to cook. And the next time the Heart and Stroke Foundation asks for your donation tell them not a chance, not until you clean up your act. Posted by: Carol | Jan 24, 08 01:16 PM

I sent off a letter to this organization stressing my shock and disappointment in them. I find it shameful! I will also be making comments to the participating brands, and to further make my point am returning all products currently in my pantry waving that "check". I trusted & I thought it sped up my shopping time - back to reading with no shortcuts! - and they have lost my trust! Posted by: Louise Frank | Jan 24, 08 01:26 PM

"health check " c/o the non profit heart & stroke foundation ??? People are depending on this system "as directed" to live a healthier lifestyle especially after recovering from a heart attack and or stroke ! Another example of fraudulent & misleading advertising ! Is the nutrition label trustworthy ? Who really has our best interests at "heart" ! I am disappointed & offended but not surprised! Food shouldn't be this complicated! Posted by: KEVIN V. | Jan 24, 08 03:47 PM

Hello Market Place; The following message was sent to the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Dear Sir/Madame; In these days one shouldn't be surprised to learn of questionable, suspicious, or even downright shady activities by otherwise outstanding people or organizations. I was very disappointed, but not surprised by the CBC Market Place program of January 23,2008 which aired very disturbing information on your organization's "Health Check" program. It is a known fact that many of our non-profit charities are scrounging to compete with each other for donations and scarce revenue dollars to maintain their operations. With so many non-profits going after money from the public, the pressure to find unique ways of raising revenue is not lost on the public. I am a senior citizen and consider myself one of the silent majority who prefer to believe that we are not going to be duped by everybody in this world. I have been on blood pressure pills for 15 years and when I realized last night that the can of Campbell's soup i had for lunch had 640 mg of sodium which could have a negative impact on my ability to avoid a stroke, I was pissed to say the least that the Heart & STROKE Foundation would have the nerve And gall to pass themselves off as a health watch organization for me! Oh yes, your puppet dietitian, that I'm sure makes a lot more money than the dietitians that worked for me in health care for over thirty years, tried to blabber her way through justifications that the nutritional information on the label should alert me. Yes it should, if I didn't believe that a glance at your check mark was sufficient indication to me that it was an OK item for me to consume. What good is a Check Mark if one has to read the label anyway? Posted by: J.Coffey | Jan 25, 08 09:58 AM

After watching "Market Place" last night about the "Heart & Stroke Foundations" "Health Check" system on food packaging I was upset. My father had a Quadruple Bypass a few years ago and if he was going to the store and using the Heart & Stoke Health Check system he wasn't really getting the proper nutrition he needed to keep his heart healthy. I'm appalled at how the Heart & Stroke foundation has the right to misinform previous heart attack patients about the food that they recommend are o.k. for them. Canada should bring in this ONQI system. From what I saw on Market Place this is the ideal system to use. Posted by: Linda Makarchuk | Jan 25, 08 10:40 AM

As a Registered Dietitian I have been skeptical of the Health Check system for quite some time. Many of the products mentioned on the show are products that I would never consider recommending to my clients or would consume myself. I have always encouraged my clients to read the Nutrition Facts label as this provides the most accurate information and is not biased. Unfortunately, not everyone has access to dietitian services and therefore rely on systems like the "Health Check" which can be misleading. Posted by: BD | Jan 25, 08 03:06 PM

Can we publicize the ONQI system a bit more. Sounds really interesting and appears to take the time consuming, consumer label checking, out of the equation. Posted by: sheila ambler | Jan 26, 08 07:33 PM

I thought I heard something off about that check a year or so ago, and tonight it was confirmed. Thank you so much for this report, it is something that I will definitely pass on to others. Posted by: Pete | Jan 26, 08 11:02 PM

I am disgusted that the Heart & Stroke Foundation gave in to big business. And their spokesperson looked like a politician caught in a lie. Excuse after excuse after excuse. And I was appalled to hear that the french fries, even though are no longer "qualified" to be "checked" can keep the check mark for 2 years while they try and qualify. So, the check mark, even if we assumed meant something, could also mean that the company is working on it and in 'n' number of years may actually qualify.... Yeah. Posted by: Geno EJ Sajko | Jan 27, 08 12:02 PM

I was just sitting down to a lunch of a tomato sandwich with lettuce and a slice of Kraft's processed cheese, when I flicked on the TV and discovered Wendy Mesley talking about the Heart and Stroke Foundation`s health check program. To tell the truth I`ve never really noticed this mark before; instead I`ve always referred to the nutrition label to decide whether I`ve wanted to eat the contents or not. I`ve just turned 58, and I`ve decided to be a little more aware of what I intend to consume. My parents have been on blood pressure medication for many years, and Ì therefore have first hand experience of what the drug companies and doctors can do to a person. I don`t want that to happen to me. Is it necessary to have all that sodium in our canned goods anyway? And don`t get me started on MSG. I won`t knowingly buy anything with that poison in it. I believe my Mom has the right idea...make it all yourself, when you can. A bowl of Mom`s homemade chicken soup is far better that the stuff in a Campbell`s can. Posted by: Kenneth Kless | Jan 27, 08 12:57 PM

I am not surprised. I am a little disappointed in products like Campbell's soup, though. I have used them, thinking they were a better product. None of the soup cans have the health check in my house, but most have 'low in sodium' on it. I feel duped by them too. Question: Where can I get these more 'healthy lists?' How come 'our' grocery stores don't have such info that ONQI has. I still feel duped if I can't access the information. Posted by: PD | Jan 27, 08 11:01 PM

I'm pretty cynical as it is, but the fact that a "charitable" organization sells its label is completely misleading. Certainly the ONQI system seems the way to go. Better yet, Carol's comment (Jan 24th,1:16PM) about teaching your kids how to cook, hits the nail on the head. Eating unprocessed foods are the way to go! Think about it: the unprocessed foods (which have no labels at all!) like the fresh foods and vegetables, the bulk nuts, grain and beans have many times the nutritional content of the highly processed so-called "healthy" garbage out there. I'll bet a tossed green salad with 10+ different things in it, and flax seed oil and balsamic vinegar to boot would score near 100 with ONQI. Imagine eating a large bowl of that every day and how good that actually would be for you. Posted by: Paul Sallmen | Jan 31, 08 03:41 AM

I was referred to your site by the David Suzuki foundations magazine on Green Choices in Products. I watched your program on the Health Check Label and was disgusted at the Heart and Stroke foundations way of doing business. I have thought recently that I have become so cynical with big business and yet here again is proof that I am not cynical but a realist. Is there no honour or morals left in business or is money the end all to everything. I have always read the labels on products and not whether it has a logo on it. What I would like to see on all food labels is a universal list of how much sodium or sugar that is safe to consume in a day. When they give me 600 mg of sodium in a can of soup it does not tell me how much that really is in terms of what my daily recommended level should be. Shame on the Heart and Stroke foundation and kudos to CBC's MarketPlace for once again giving Canadians a good piece of investigative journalism. You guys are the ones to keep us safe and informed. I applaud your hard work. Posted by: Renate Van Dorsser | Feb 10, 08 01:58 PM

re Heart and Stroke association's endorsement of products. I wrote about a year and a half ago to the Heart and Stroke Assn re their endorsement of "seasoned pork". I reminded them that heart patients usually have to be on a salt reduced diet and that seasoned pork has too much sodium in it. The supermarkets like Loblaws sell only seasoned pork while Dominion carries both. It is misleading putting their heart check emblem on this product because it is unhealthy for people who are salt-sensitive or managing a heart condition and high blood pressure. They did nothing about it. I am glad that they are being scrutinized but am doubtful that much will be done about it. Posted by: James Nicoloff | Apr 2, 08 01:25 PM