2026 INDUCTEE Mary R. L’Abbé, PhD Health Policy, Public Health, Health Promotion & Advocacy, Global Health, Women in Medicine
March 4, 1951
(Ottawa, Ontario)
PhD, McGill University (1988)
MSc, McGill (1983)
BSc, Carleton University (1975)
2023: Conrad A. Elvehjem Award for Public Service in Nutrition, American Society for Nutrition
2022: Fellow Award for outstanding service to the cause of nutrition, International Union of Nutritional Sciences
See All AwardsAwards & Honours:
2023: Conrad A. Elvehjem Award for Public Service in Nutrition, American Society for Nutrition
2022: Fellow Award for outstanding service to the cause of nutrition, International Union of Nutritional Sciences
2021: Fellow, American Society for Nutrition
2020: Fellow, Canadian Nutrition Society
2019: Member of the Order of Canada as champion of nutritional health in Canada, advocating for strong government action on nutrition-related policy, legislation and regulations
2014: Notable Achievement in Dietary Salt Reduction Awardee, World Hypertension League
2011: Earle W. Crampton Award for Leadership in Nutrition, McGill University
2011: Certificate of Excellence Award for contributions in reducing dietary sodium in Canada internationally, Hypertension Canada
2010: Earle Willard McHenry Award for Distinguished Service in Nutrition, Canadian Nutrition Society
2007: YMCA-YWCA Women of Distinction Awards – Science, Research and Technology Award finalist
2007: Health Products and Food Branch Award for Collaborative Leadership of the Trans Fat Task Force with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, Health Canada
2002: Queen’s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal, Governor General of Canada
2001: Centrum Young Investigator Award for Outstanding Research, Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences
2000: Award of Excellence, Canadian Federation of Biological Sciences
2000: Team Achievement Award, Health Canada
A dedicated advocate for better nutrition
“To stem Canada's epidemic of chronic disease, we must shift our focus from treatment to prevention.” These words from Mary L'Abbé, PhD, capture her commitment to improving public health from its most critical foundation: our food environment. Dr. L’Abbé has worked tirelessly to optimize nutrition policy and food supply chains in Canada and internationally. She began her career as a research scientist at Health Canada, later becoming Director of the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences. In this latter role, she guided research, surveillance, and regulations that ensured the quality of Canadians’ food supply. Dr. L’Abbé’s novel research and inspiring leadership led to important policies that are now recognized as some of the best nutrition-advancing measures worldwide. These include initiatives to reduce dietary sodium, limit trans fats, and mandate clearer food labelling. Since her move to the University of Toronto, one of Dr. L’Abbé’s most significant contributions has been the Food Label Information and Price (FLIP) database, a comprehensive tool used to monitor food environments and inform policy in nearly 20 countries. Dr. L’Abbé has also chaired or participated on countless expert committees for international organizations like the World Health Organization, where she continues to empower consumers to make healthier choices.
Key Facts
Spent over 30 years as a nutrition scientist at Health Canada before transitioning to academia
Developed and maintained Canada’s only systematic food composition database, FLIP, which has tracked nutrition information for over 200,000 packaged and restaurant foods by brand name since 2010
Was the founding director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Policy for Chronic Disease Prevention
Has served as expert advisor for organizations such as the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Codex Alimentarius and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) and Health Canada
Leads a research group on food and nutrition policy for public health at the University of Toronto
Fun Fact: She is the oldest of 8 children – 7 girls! All leaders in their own fields and her best friends and cheerleaders in the world
Professional timeline
Impact on lives today
Dr. Mary L’Abbé’s research and leadership in public health nutrition, nutrition policy and nutrition regulation has directly impacted the daily health of people in Canada and worldwide. She championed mandatory Nutrition Facts tables, enabling consumers to make informed dietary choices, and has led national initiatives to eliminate industrial trans fats and reduce sodium levels in processed foods. Her Food Label Information and Price (FLIP) database—Canada’s most comprehensive database of packaged food nutrition information—is used nationally and internationally for research, policymaking and education aimed at decreasing disease and improving overall public health.
2026
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Appointed Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto’s Department of Nutritional Sciences
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Dr. L'Abbé founded the WHO Collaborating Centre on Nutrition Policy for Chronic Disease Prevention
The Centre on Nutrition Policy for Chronic Disease Prevention focuses on promoting healthy and sustainable diets, as well as the prevention of chronic diseases through research, publication and the development of new methodologies. Dr. L’Abbé has also served as the centre’s director since its founding and, conducts research supporting strong public health nutrition policies globally.
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Dr. L’Abbé developed the Food Label Information and Price (FLIP) database.
The FLIP database contains nutrition and label information for tens of thousands of packaged food products by brand name. Since its creation in 2010, the database has been used for a wide variety of research and policy purposes, including by Health Canada, provincial governments, Heart and Stroke, Dietitians Canada and by nearly 40 research groups in Canada and around the world.
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Appointed to the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG)
The NUGAG has developed WHO nutrition guidelines on sugars, fats, sodium, potassium, carbohydrates, salt substitutes and many others, which serve as the scientific evidence base underpinning healthy dietary recommendations around the world.
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Led Canada’s Sodium Working Group
Dr. L’Abbé’s research in subsequent years provided valuable insights into the lack of meaningful progress by industry in reducing sodium in processed and restaurant foods under the government’s voluntary program. The Sodium Working Group is tasked with developing a sodium reduction strategy for Canada.
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Co-chaired Canada’s Trans Fat Task Force
Dr. L’Abbé’s leadership as co-chair of Canada’s Trans Fat Task Force triggered a series of policies and initiatives, such as the Trans Fat Monitoring Program, which resulted in a significant reduction and eventual elimination of trans fats in Canada’s food supply.
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Served as Director of the Bureau of Nutritional Sciences at Health Canada
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Dr. L’Abbé led the implementation of Canada’s first mandatory Nutrition Facts table, requiring packaged foods to display serving size, calorie count and nutrition information.
Public Health, Health Promotion & Advocacy -
Earned her PhD at McGill University and was named to the Dean’s Honours List
1975
She's really trained a whole new field of people in Canada in terms of nutrition policy. Now, they're leaders in their own right across Canada and elsewhere.
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