In the eyes of nutritionists, the foods offered mostly lack nutritional value
Published at 5:00 a.m.
In a Facebook post last week, Ottawa culinary chef Anna March denounced the value of a bag of food sold in a Provigo supermarket in Gatineau. It cost clients $5 for a food bank to receive four cans of condensed chicken noodle soup from them.
Total of what it would have cost on the shelves: $6. Mme March pointed out, however, that the value of the content totaled $3.56 at Maxi, Loblaw's discount brand, which also owns Provigo.
IMAGE FROM A FACEBOOK POST BY ANNA MARCH
The four cans contained in a bag of food sold in a Provigo supermarket in Gatineau
The food giant therefore made more profits with a gesture of solidarity at Provigo than with a “normal” sale at Maxi, said the holder of a certificate in food safety from Toronto Metropolitan University.
In several supermarkets in Quebec, as the holiday season approaches, bags of food can be purchased by consumers and then placed in a basket near the checkouts for food banks. Since items are generally bundled in a sealed package, few donors see the nature of their offering.
The Press obtained eight bags in five supermarkets from the Metro, Provigo and Maxi chains to see more clearly. Result: variable values, but higher than the purchase price (see other text), little pleasure and a hint of cynicism, according to nutritionists we consulted.
“It contains too much salt, it is very processed and we are far from the recommendations of the Food Guide,” summarizes Rosanne Blanchet, assistant professor in the department of social and preventive medicine at the University of Montreal.
“I have the impression that we take the cheapest items and put them in bags,” adds nutritionist Stéphanie Ferland, founder of the Simple-Nutrition clinics.
The Sobeys brands (IGA, Marché Tradition) did not have a national pre-filled bag program this year.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
White rice and white pasta are also in the spotlight.
Sodium in the spotlight
Our collection began in a Provigo and in a Maxi, two Loblaw brands which are partners of La guignolée des medias.
On our first stop we purchased two bags for $5. The Provigo branch had slipped three cans inside – tomato sauce, vegetables and tuna – and eight sachets of Unnamed brand instant noodles. Each of them displays 1360 grams of salt, or 60% of the recommended daily dose. Most said “Best by December 23, 2024.”
At Maxi too, eight packets of Mr. Noodles brand noodles had been inserted into each of the two donation bags, one paid $10, the other $20.
These products are hyper-processed and excessively salty, agree the nutritionists consulted by The Press. If consumed regularly, they increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in women, according to an American study published in the Journal of Nutrition. In Asia, instant noodles are singled out by UNICEF as a factor contributing to obesity and malnutrition.
Chicken noodle soup mixes, also high in sodium, were slipped into three out of eight bags, including two at Metro.
This is “junk food devoid of nutritional value and joy that will feed absolutely no one,” said chef Anna March in her Facebook post after discovering four cans of soup in a donation bag.
“I have a certain discomfort sometimes seeing people judge that canned soup is not good,” reacts Martin Munger, general director of the Food Banks of Quebec (BAQ). He points out, for example, that some beneficiaries live in a rooming house equipped only with a microwave.
We are aware that if the person eats just that, it is not ideal, but a can of soup can provide comfort at a given moment. I think we have to be careful.
Martin Munger, general director of the Food Banks of Quebec
The products placed in the bags are also taken from a list provided by the BAQ.
The nutritionists' verdict
The basket offered for $20 at Maxi, with “lentils, mixed vegetables and tuna”, is the most interesting, according to nutritionist Stéphanie Ferland. “We can make a big soup rich in protein, fiber and vegetables. »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The basket offered at $20 at Maxi is the most interesting, according to a nutritionist.
“Overall [des huit sacs]there could be more canned vegetables, proteins and whole grain products,” she notes.
We are into white rice and white pasta. But for someone in need and with a little imagination, there is a way to make meals that are quite nutritious.
Stéphanie Ferland, nutritionist
In the case of the omnipresence of ultra-salty instant noodles, nutritionist Stéphanie Ferland has a caveat. She emphasizes that it is possible to use noodles as a meal base by moderating the dose of seasonings, responsible for sodium, and by adding a protein such as tuna as well as vegetables. “You can make a meal a little more complete than with just a packet of ramen. »
Rosanne Blanchet would have preferred to see more diversity among non-perishable foods, for example powdered milk.
Nutritionists agree on one point: with a few exceptions, there is a severe lack of “pleasure” in foods paid for blindly by customers. Especially in the context of the holiday season. “Can it bring joy?” », asks Rosanne Blanchet. “To ask the question is to answer it. Who wants to eat instant noodles at Christmas? For my part, the list doesn't make me want to make dinner. »
Martin Munger, from the Food Banks of Quebec, recalls that the bags given to Moisson are generally opened so that the products are redistributed in baskets that better meet the needs of the population.
By the numbers
5 $ = 75 $ ?
A cash donation of $1 is equivalent to three meals, according to the Food Banks of Quebec, or $15 worth of food, according to Moisson Montréal. According to these statements, the $5 that we exchanged for eight bags of noodles and three cans of canned goods at Provigo could therefore have provided 15 meals or food worth $75 if it had been given directly to the organizations.
