By Linda Hannah, RD Good Samaritan Society Going Trans Fat Free in Long Term Care

How were we affected? Residents didn’t ask Staff didn’t ask I didn’t ask at first As of September 2009 only 2 products were not available Permanent replacement found for one and a temporary substitute was implemented for the other.

60 years of business and pioneers of LTC and the cottage environment Traditional multi storey buildings with central kitchen Small sites with central kitchen Medium size sites with central kitchen for main building and cottages receiving ready to eat food from central kitchen Medium size sites with central kitchen for main building and cottages receiving raw ingredients from central kitchen and cook in home style environment

Cottage Model Picture of ______ site with independent cottages Picture of cottage kitchen

Menu Design & Support 2 Dedicated Best Practice Dietitians 1 in BC and 1 in Alberta Design spring/summer and fall/winter menus Menu support documents including a cookbook Standardized product selection across 4 Sysco warehouses in 2 provinces. This will help should Alberta go Trans Fat Free

Which items were affected Margarines Mousse dry mix Cake dry mix Crackers Breaded items

What happened? Kitchen Staff – most weren’t aware Product Availability – only 2 items weren’t available post Sept 2009 Resident Family council meetings – no one asked So far no concerns have been voiced through the audits conducted at the site level.

What’s outstanding BC Trans Fat Regulations requires documentation for all food/ingredients kept on site except fresh fruits and vegetables, egg, raw meat, fish and poultry. IE: ingredient lists, nutrition fact table or product specification sheet If a food item has one of the following words in the ingredient list,you also require nutrition information to show the grams of trans fat and total fat for the product. Hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, margarine, shortening

Summary No one asked No one noticed Manufacturers and Suppliers were compliant Maintaining food/ingredient records could be difficult It forces us to be healthier by reducing consumption of the really bad fat that we didn’t need anyway! Best of all – we are more aware of what we purchase and consume.

Questions? Contact information Linda Hannah, RD