Table 1.

Weighted analysis of number of servings from Health Canada’s Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide (EWCFG) [20] presented based on the 2014 Health Canada’s Surveillance Tool (HCST) Tier system [19] among Canadians <19 years^a,b

	2–3 years (boys and girls)		4–8 years (boys and girls)		9–13 years (boys)		9–13 years (girls)		14–18 years (boys)		14–18 years (girls)
Number of servings/day	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM	Mean	SEM
Vegetables and Fruits
Tiers 1–3	4.95	0.16c	4.53	0.17c	4.10	0.21d	4.59	0.22d	3.94	0.23e	4.58	0.20e
Tiers 1–4	5.16	0.16c	4.76	0.17c	4.43	0.21d	4.87	0.22d	4.33	0.23e	4.91	0.20e
EWCFG Recommendation	4		5		6		6		8		7
Grain Products
Tiers 1–3	4.85	0.14c	5.56	0.1c	5.69	0.20	5.50	0.17d	5.73	0.21e	5.43	0.17e
Tiers 1–4	5.90	0.15c	6.80	0.17c	6.82	0.22	6.76	0.18d	6.60	0.24e	6.53	0.19e
EWCFG Recommendation	3		4		6		6		7		6
Milk and Alternatives
Tiers 1–3	3.09	0.09c	2.64	0.09c	2.35	0.11	2.26	0.10	1.86	0.13	1.94	0.10
Tiers 1–4	3.30	0.09c	2.83	0.09c	2.55	0.12	2.46	0.10	2.10	0.13	2.15	0.10
EWCFG Recommendation	2		2		3–4		3–4		3–4		3–4
Meat and Alternatives
Tiers 1–3	1.28	0.08	1.34	0.09	1.57	0.12	1.39	0.10d	1.89	0.12e	1.52	0.10e
Tiers 1–4	1.61	0.07	1.68	0.08	1.92	0.11	1.71	0.09d	2.20	0.11e	1.76	0.10e
EWCFG Recommendation	1		1		1–2		1–2		3		2

Abbreviations: EWCFG Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, RA Reference Amount, SEM Standard Error of Mean

^aEnergy adjusted

^bTiers are based on Health Canada’s Surveillance Tool [19] and defined generally as follows: Tier 1–3 foods are compliant with EWCFG and Tier 4 foods are not recommended by the EWCFG. Tier 1 are foods that do not exceed lower thresholds for total fat, sugars, and sodium; Tier 2 foods do not exceed up to 2 lower thresholds for total fat, sugars or sodium, without exceeding any upper thresholds; for the Vegetables and Fruit and Grain Products food groups Tier 3 are foods that exceed all 3 lower thresholds without exceeding any upper thresholds or exceed only one upper threshold, while Tier 4 foods exceed at least 2 upper thresholds for total fat, saturated fat, sugars, or sodium. Within the Milk and Alternatives and Meat and Alternatives food groups, Tier 3 foods exceed all 3 lower thresholds without exceeding any upper thresholds for total fat, sugars, or sodium (irrespective of saturated fat) or exceed only one of these 3 thresholds or foods that only exceed the upper saturated fat threshold; within these 2 food groups foods that exceed at least 2 upper thresholds for total fat, sugars, or sodium were classified as Tier 4. Where lower thresholds entail: total fat≤3 g/RA, sugars ≤6 g/RA, and sodium ≤140 mg/RA; and upper thresholds are: total fat >10 g/RA, sugars >19 g/RA, sodium >360 mg/RA, and saturated fat >2 g/RA

^cComparison significantly different between 2–3 year old and 4–8 year olds, based on Tukey multiple comparison test (p < 0.05)

^dComparison significantly different between 9–13 year old males and females, based on Tukey multiple comparison test (p < 0.05)

^eComparison significantly different between 14–18 year old males and females, based on Tukey multiple comparison test (p < 0.05)