Foreword

This project was inspired by an editorial in the Globe & Mail. The editorial which ran on
January 6, 1996 was titled "The Diet Divide." It described the growing division between upper/middle income and lower income Canadians when it comes to health. The editorial said that there is a "dramatic and well-established link between wealth and health: those with money live longer and are healthier, sometimes much healthier."

The Globe & Mail said that there was a need for nutritional information in a form that could be of use to all Canadians even those "who lack literacy, resources and time." The Consumers' Association took up the Globe & Mail's challenge. The result is eightFoodTips which give nutritional information in a simple, concise form.

The editorial went on to issue a challenge:

There is no reason why the nutritional knowledge-power that benefits middle-and upper-income Canadians cannot be readily available to all, in forms that are readily comprehensible even to those who lack literary, resources and time.

The Consumers' Association of Canada took up that challenge. The result is eight Food Tips written primarily for the 40 percent of adult Canadians who have difficulty reading. The Tips give clear information about healthy eating — information based on Canada's Food Guide for Healthy Eating.(1)

If we have succeeded, we have made the process look easy. It was not. The Food Tips are the result of a collaborative effort of nutritionists, dieticians, health care professionals, consumers, designers, learners, and literacy clear writing experts. Many steps and much work went into a product which, we believe, gives adults important nutritional and consumer information in a simple and appropriate way.

This Summary (available in English and French) records the steps we took to ensure that our information was accurate, useful, appealing and easy to read.

Above all, we learned that the most important part of the process was the involvement of our potential audience. Hundreds of Canadian adult learners reviewed various drafts of the Tips. We are particularly grateful for their participation.(2)

The Consumers' Association of Canada hopes our experience can be useful to others who are preparing much-needed information for the general public, including persons with low literacy skills.

⁽¹⁾ Produced by Health and Welfare Canada.

⁽²⁾ Surprisingly, this kind of reality testing is not always part of the process, see "Cognition and Technology in Health Education Research," Vimla L. Patel, Ph.D., in Canadian Journal of Public Health, November- December 1996: "Consistent feedback from the users of knowledge to the designers of health promotion materials is necessary to ensure adequate communication."