Professional health organizations, government health agencies, volunteer health agencies, marketing boards, commodity groups and consumer groups provide reliable health and nutrition information.
- Professional health organizations: Dietitians of Canada, Provincial Dietetic Associations, National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).
- Government Health Agencies: Health Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Provincial Health Departments.
- Volunteer health agencies: Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Diabetes Association.
- Marketing Boards/Commodity Groups: Canadian Egg Marketing Agency, Canadian Sugar Institute, Beef Information Centre, Canola Council of Canada, Dairy Bureau of Canada, Canada Pork Inc., Provincial Department of Fisheries.
- Reputable consumer groups: Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education, Consumers' Association of Canada, Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Council, Food Biotechnology Communications Network.
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Is this a reliable website?
- Who is responsible for the site?
Check the three-letter tag that follows the dot in the site's name.
.gov government .edu university
.com commercial .org non-profit organization
Government, university and non-profit organization sites are generally reliable sources of information. A commercial web site whose main motive is to sell something increases risk of bias.
- Do the names and credentials of information providers appear?
Many reliable sources provide e-mail addresses or other ways to obtain information about the site or credentials of the person(s) providing the information.
- Are links with other reliable sites provided?
Reputable organizations almost always provide links with other similar sites. Be aware that anyone can link a web page to a reputable site without that organization's permission.
- Is the site updated regularly?
Nutrition information changes rapidly. Sites should be updated often.
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Some credible websites include:
Dietitians of Canada www.dietitians.ca
National Institute of Nutrition www.nin.ca
Health Canada www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency www.cfia-acia.agr.ca
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada www.heartandstroke.ca
Canadian Cancer Society www.cancer.ca
Canadian Diabetes Association www.diabetes.ca
Canadian Egg Marketing Agency www.canadaegg.ca
Canadian Sugar Institute www.sugar.ca
Beef Information Centre www.beefinfo.org
Canola Council of Canada www.canolainfo.org
Dairy Bureau of Canada www.nutritionstuff.org
Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education www.canfightbac.org
Food Biotechnology CommunicationsNetwork www.foodbiotech.org
Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Council www.cbac-cccb.ca
Consumers' Association of Canada www.consumer.ca
National Council Against Health Fraud www.ncahf.org
Tufts University www.tufts.edu/
Arbor Nutrition Guide http://www.arborcom.com
Gatorade Sports Science Institute www.gssiweb.com
American Dietetic Association www.eatright.org
Public Health Nutritionist Central Health Region (Nova Scotia) www.gov.ns.ca/health
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) www.fda.gov
U.S. Department of Agriculture www.usda.gov
Nova Scotia Nutrition Council www.nsnc.ca
Atlantic Health Promotion Research www.medicine.dal.ca/ahprc
Adapted from: Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2000, p. 24). Nutrition Concepts and Controversies. Scarborough, ON: Nelson/Thomson Learning.