Canada's food industry and federal government have developed a guide to help consumers better understand the nutrition labels that have been affixed to food products for 22 years.

Health Canada and Food & Consumer Products of Canada have begun a campaign to help Canadians better read nutrition labels on food. (Health Canada)The Nutrition Facts Education Campaign is a multimedia effort developed by Health Canada and the national industry association Food & Consumer Products of Canada.

Its basic goal is to increase consumer understanding of the information contained in the nutrition facts table, with a specific emphasis on how to use the listing of per cent of daily value, to enhance public health.

"We know that many consumers are using the information on the nutrition facts table," said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq. "This innovative, national initiative builds on ongoing efforts by our government to help Canadians better understand and use this information to make healthier food choices for themselves and their families."

'Healthy eating at an early age is an important part of preventing childhood and adult obesity.'—Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq

The minister concedes the current campaign is aimed at tackling growing rates of excess weight and obesity in Canada, particularly among young people.

According to Statistics Canada's Health Measures Survey, 17 per cent of children and young people are overweight, and another nine per cent are obese. The number of overweight adolescents has more than doubled in the past 25 years, and obesity rates tripled.

Poor eating habits and lack of exercise have been blamed for the deteriorating health of young Canadians.

The federal government hopes that by understanding nutrition labels, Canadians will make healthier food choices. (iStock)"Healthy eating at an early age is an important part of preventing childhood and adult obesity, and this campaign will help more Canadians use nutrition labelling information to make healthier choices when buying packaged food," Aglukkaq said.

The director general in Health Canada's office of nutrition policy and promotion told CBC News that U.S. research shows people who regularly read nutrition labels lose more weight than those who exercise regularly. Dr. Hasan Hutchinson says ideally, people should read the labels and exercise.

But for now, he believes having more consumers reading the labels will create a healthier society.

"By choosing food that is healthier for them, they'll be eating healthier, and of course if you're eating healthier, then of course you are going to have less problems with chronic disease down the line."

The campaign is simple enough. It tells consumers to read the nutrition label and focus on foods with higher levels of nutrients they may want more of, such as fibre, calcium and vitamins A and C. It also warns consumers to avoid products that contain high levels of fat and sodium.

"This initiative provides information to Canadians in a variety of ways to help them when choosing a food or deciding between products," said Nancy Croitoru, president of FCPC. "Using the per cent daily value is a quick way for consumers to know if a packaged food contains a little or a lot of a nutrient."

The nutrition label campaign begins its rollout with messaging on consumer packaging, in magazines and online. Health Canada has set up a website to lead consumers through nutrition labels.

In January, the campaign will move to television and social media.