Memory Lane Family Place March Program Update:
March Break Activities
Monday March
12th,
9:30-11:00 – Drop- in for children (0-5yrs)
1:30- 3:30 – Drop-in for mixed age group
Tuesday March 13th
1:30 – 3:30 Green Tea –Wear your green duds and join us
for crafts, games and Irish music.
Wednesday March 14th
10:00 am – PJ Movie Morning
Date labelling on pre-packaged foods
Information about labelling dates on pre-packaged food can be very
confusing, some products have them, some don’t and then, there is a
variety of different terms used. What does it all mean? The following list of
terms is taken directly from the Health Canada Website to help people
make sense of it all.
Durable life – This indicates the anticipated amount of time an unopened
food product will keep its freshness, taste, nutritional value and other
qualities when stored under appropriate conditions. A “best before” date
tells you when the “durable life” period ends.
Best before date – The “best before” date does not guarantee product
safety, but it does give you information about the freshness and potential
shelf-life of the unopened food you are buying. This must appear on prepackaged foods that will keep fresh for 90 days or less. Retail-packaged
foods may be labelled with either a “best before” date and storage
instructions, or the date packaged, along with a "best before" date and
storage instructions.
Fast Facts - Food with an anticipated shelf life greater than 90 days
are not required to be labelled with a “best before” date or storage
information.
March is Nutrition MonthA month dedicated to raising awareness around healthy eating. It is
advised, by health professionals that the majority of our diet should be
made up of whole, unprocessed foods. However, many commonly used
items, such as breakfast cereals, breads, etc. come pre-packaged. In
making these purchased we find ourselves trying to decode a variety of
information on packages and labels. Following is some information you
may find helpful in navigating the grocery aisles and choosing the best
products for your family.
Be aware Of Flashy Packaging- The first thing we are often lured by is
fancy packing and a lot of claims about the product. The consumer
protection group, Market Watch recently did an investigation on misleading
food labelling and found that some companies use buzz words and claims
that are confusing and “invented” by companies to sell their products.
Following is a tip sheet that is posted on the Market Place website http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2012/lousylabels) to help consumers avoid
misleading food labels.
How to avoid misleading food labels
1. Ignore the front of the box: skip to the Nutrition Facts Panel to really
evaluate how healthy your food is.
2. Beware of buzzwords: terms like "antioxidant," "superfruit," and
"prebiotic" may be more about marketing than science.
3. Read the ingredient list. It's in order by weight, so you can compare
good ingredients — like whole grains — with less healthy ones, like refined
flour.
4. Be careful of ingredient list tricks. Glucose/fructose, rice syrup, cane
syrup and concentrated pear or grape juice are all, basically, sugar.
5. Disregard healthy logos invented by the company, they do not need
to meet any specific, objective criteria.
6. Be skeptical of vague language that doesn't specifically tell you the
benefits of eating a food: these claims don't need approval.
7. If you find a misleading label, file a complaint with the Canadian
Food Inspection Agency: it's responsible for enforcing labelling laws.
Nutrition Facts Labels: Information contained on ingredients lists and
nutrition label are regulated by Health Canada under the Food and Drugs
Act. The Nutrition Facts table gives you information on the amount of 13
core nutrients and calories in a specific amount of food. Use this
information and the % Daily Value (% DV) to choose and compare food
products . To assist people in decoding nutrition labels Health Canada has
a wealth of information on their website @ http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca.
Use by date – This may appear instead of “best before” on pre-packaged
fresh yeast only.
Expiration date – This must appear on formulated liquid diets, foods for
use in a very low-energy diet, meal replacements, nutritional supplements
and infant formulas. After the expiration date, the food may not have the
same nutrient content declared on the label. If the expiration date has
passed, throw away the food.
How it’s presented- The “best before” date must be identified using the
words “best before” and “meilleure avant” together with the date. These
can appear anywhere on a package — and if on the bottom, that
placement should be indicated elsewhere on the label. The month of
expiration must be in both official languages or indicated by using
specified bilingual symbols. The year is optional, unless it is needed for
clarity (e.g., if the shelf life extends into a new calendar year).
If included, the year must appear first, followed by the month, and then the
day: Best before 11 JA 22 Monthly bilingual symbols
January: JA
April: AL
July: JL
October: OC
February: FE
May: MA
August: AU
November: NO
March: MR
June: JN
September: SE
December: DE
Passed the “best before” date?
You can buy and eat foods after the “best before” date has passed. It may
have lost some of its freshness, flavour and nutritional value, and its
texture may have changed.
Remember, “best before” dates are not indicators of food safety. They
apply to unopened products only. Once opened, the shelf life of a food
may change. Never use your nose, eyes or taste buds to judge the safety
of food. If in doubt, throw it out.
Memory Lane Family Place
Preschool Registration
The Memory Lane Family Place Preschool program
is licensed by the Department of Community
Services. The program is offered to children who
will be starting school September, 2013. If you
would like more information or would like to place
your name on the preschool list, please call the
office at 864-6363.