FEBRUARY 2022 1
NOURISHING CONVERSATIONS - REGISTRATION
2 NOURISHING NEWS
BAKER’S SOURCE
FEBRUARY 2022 3
NUTRITION SERVICES TOOLKITS
4 NOURISHING NEWS
ED SMITH
FEBRUARY 2022 5
LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD WASTE
LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD
WASTE
E
ach year we allocate tremendous amounts of resources and energy into growing, processing, transporting, and disposing of food. Food and other organic waste that end up in landfills emit a potent greenhouse gas during the decomposition process 1. Annually, approximately 3 trillion tons of the world’s food go unconsumed and the Canadian Healthcare system is a major contributor to that number.3
Exploring food waste in the Canadian Long-Term Care sector: According to the latest CIHI data, there are 198,220 Long-Term-Care (LTC) beds as of March 31, 2021.4 LTC houses hundreds of thousands of residents across Canada. Within each home, resident meals are prepared by essential workers, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. When you are serving hundreds of meals a day at a single home, the cumulative effects of food waste can be significant. A food waste monitoring study measured food and fluid waste from 3 Ontario LTC homes to understand where food waste was happening.5 6 NOURISHING NEWS
By Nancy Ma, BASc, NM, Nutrition Services Consultant Sysco Canada
LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD WASTE
• • • 2. • • •
Summary of Food Waste Project Findings: • • •
The food and fluid waste generated from a single dining room estimated to an annual loss of ~$57,000. More waste came from modified texture diets (i.e., minced & pureed textures) and therapeutic diets (i.e., Renal and Gluten Free Diets). An estimate of 40% of the home’s annual food budget was lost to food waste.
Another Ontario food waste study conducted at 2 LTC homes found comparable results. The study found that ~61% of the food from the kitchen was wasted with 45.7% attributed to over-produced food that was never touched by the residents. 6 Although these were relatively small studies, findings suggest that food waste can have significant implications for the entire food service operation, from budget, production and ultimately, resident well-being.
3. • • •
food left on the plate by residents. Limited variety on the menu and lack of culturally appropriate dishes. Challenges related to accommodating individual dietary needs and preferences. Changes in appetite and intake due to resident’s health status and medical conditions. Over-production Poor menu planning and forecasting. Ministry requirements for meal services: show plates, minimum of 2 choices, etc. Adhering to standardized recipes and appropriate serving utensils. Food Waste Monitoring Leftover tracking at the end of each meal. Lack of waste analysis and management programs. Leftover tracking
What are some of the ingredients for a healthier tomorrow? There are several solutions and opportunities that LTC homes can apply to combat excess food waste. First, it is important to assess how much food is being wasted at your home and what are the underlying causes. With that in mind, you can set your goals and develop your waste management strategies. Remember to schedule a follow up to re-evaluate your progress and adapt your goals and strategies accordingly.
Taking steps to reduce food waste can free up more resources and funds to be allocated for better use while doing our part in the global climate change initiative. This means better food, happier residents, and a healthier planet.
What are some challenges and contributing factors to food waste in Long-TermCare? 1. Plate Waste • Quality and presentation of food leads to more
FEBRUARY 2022 7
LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD WASTE
Here are some ideas to get you started: 1. Plan your menus appropriately: involve residents into the menu planning process and adapt your menus to reflect the preferences of your resident population. 2. Change things up: Special event day menus, resident choice meals or diner’s club are great ways to add variety to your residents’ meal experience. 3. Involve your food vendors: Set up new product tastings and food shows at your home with the help of your Sysco food vendors. This is a terrific way to introduce new flavours and products into your home. 4. Make it an organizational priority: Get everyone involved by making reducing food waste and sustainability an organizational goal. Make reducing waste a priority for all stakeholders; not limited to the food services department. 5. Look for patterns and trends: Conduct food waste audits in your dining rooms, serveries, and kitchens. Track the number of leftovers after each dining service and adjust your kitchen production numbers accordingly. Review that data regularly so you can be proactive in managing waste. 6. Implement Technology: Let Synergy Tech Suite be the solution! Synergy Tech Suite is an all-in-one food services management technology that supports communities big or small. This fully integrated system enables you to manage resident profiles, build, and implement menus, create your own or access the existing recipe library (over 10,000 standardized recipes), manage production and forecasting and so much more. Visit the link here for more information. 7. Think green: Start a compost program if possible. Alternatively, consider other sustainable food waste disposal options for your kitchen. There are innovative solutions available in the market that will process kitchen food waste using microorganisms like the natural digestion process. ⁷ 8 NOURISHING NEWS
DID YOU KNOW? The term “greenhouse gas” is an umbrella term that describes a group of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and has significant environmental impact on the health of our planet. 2 These gases are: • Carbon Dioxide (CO2): These are emitted from burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees, and other biological materials. • Methane (CH4): main contributors of methane are production & transportation of fossil fuels, agricultural & farming and from decaying organic wastes in landfills. • Nitrous Oxide (N2O): these are emitted during agriculture, landfills, industrial activities and burning on fossil fuels and solid waste. • Fluorinated gases: these powerful gases are a result of industrial processes. The food system can be linked to 3 out of 4 of the greenhouse gases and has a significant impact on the health of our planet.
LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD WASTE
References: 1. Horstmeyer, K., 2021. Reducing Food Waste - Nutrition Care Systems. [online] Nutrition Care Systems. Available at: <https://www.nutritioncaresystems.com/reducing-food-waste/> [Accessed 26 November 2021]. 2. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2021. Overview of Greenhouse Gases | US EPA. [online] Available at: <https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases> [Accessed 10 December 2021]. 3. Green Health Care. 2021. Food Waste: Health Care Context. [online] Available at: <https://greenhealthcare.ca/ waste/food-waste/> [Accessed 26 November]. 2021]. 4. Cihi.ca. 2021. How many long-term care beds are there in Canada? | CIHI. [online] Available at: <https://www. cihi.ca/en/how-many-long-term-care-beds-are-there-in-canada> [Accessed 29 November 2021]. 5. Liu, Y. and Oulton, J., 2016. EBSCOhost | 117474493 | A food waste monitoring project in a long term care facility in Ontario.. [online] Web.p.ebscohost.com. Available at: <https://web.p.ebscohost.com/abstract?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=14863847&AN=117474493&h=I58wWbN9ipMiXXUgixrd5AXDEgonPl3cd0Fuuzj%2b8Ljqvnkn3YdeDfk5OPFa3ralWd6oroLxI4imPi91%2bbbwnw%3d%3d&crl=c&resultNs=AdminWebAuth&resultLocal=ErrCrlNoProfile&crlhashurl=login. aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26profile%3dehost%26scope%3dsite%26authtype%3dcrawler%26jrnl%3d14863847%26AN%3d117474493> [Accessed 26 November 2021]. 6. University of Guelph Sustainable Restaurant Project. 2019. Food Waste at Long-Term Care Facilities, a Moral Dilemma?. [online] Available at: <https://ugsrp.com/2019/07/11/food-waste-at-long-term-care-facilities-a-moraldilemma/> [Accessed 26 November 2021]. 7. ORCA. 2018. ORCA | Innovative Clean Food Waste Technology. [online] Available at: <https://www.feedtheorca. com/> [Accessed 26 November 2021]. 8. EPA.gov. 2014. A Guide to Conducting and Analyzing a Food Waste Assessment. [online] Available at: <https:// www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-08/documents/r5_fd_wste_guidebk_020615.pdf> [Accessed 26 November 2021].
Start the conversation at your homes and share any sustainability initiatives or ideas from your community with us. Email them to menu.services@corp.sysco.ca and see your ideas featured in future Nourishing News! FEBRUARY 2022 9
ZF MAX
10 NOURISHING NEWS
AE SPOTLIGHT
FEBRUARY 2022 11
THEME MENU
Contact your Sysco account representative for the full toolkit!
12 NOURISHING NEWS
THEME MENU
FEBRUARY 2022 13
THEME MENU RECIPES
Seafood Primavera Ingredients: 500 g carrots, sliced frozen 125 ml chicken base, dry 500 g broccoli cuts, frozen 60 ml basil, dried 350 ml margarine 60 ml parsley, dried 250 ml onions, frozen, diced 1.75 kg pollock fillet, frozen 30 ml garlic, minced 1.9 kg crab, imitation 350 ml flour, all purpose 700 ml mushroom stems, canned 2.65 L water 1.9 kg fettucine, dry 2.4 L milk, 2% 1 L parmesan
Preparation: 1. Steam broccoli and carrots until just tender; drain well. 2. Saute onion in margarine until tender, add garlic; stir to heat through. 3. Add flour to garlic/onion mixture then stir with whisk until flour is mixed in. Continue cooking, stirring often, until thickened. 4. Add basil, parsley, pollock (in bite sized pieces), crab, mushrooms, carrots and broccoli to sauce. 5. Prepare pas as per package directions. 6. Gently fold pasta into sauce/vegetable mixture; scale into baking pans then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes.
14 NOURISHING NEWS
BONDUELLE
FEBRUARY 2022 15
THEME MENU
Contact your Sysco account representative for the full toolkit!
16 NOURISHING NEWS
THEME MENU
FEBRUARY 2022 17
THEME MENU RECIPES
18 NOURISHING NEWS
THEME MENU RECIPES
Baked Pesto Chicken Serving Size: 90 g Yield: 50
Ingredients: 1 L 350 ml 250 ml 6 kg 2 L 120 g 1 tbsp 3/4 tsp
water pesto, basil with pine nuts wine, white chicken breast milk 2 % flour, all purpose parsley, fresh ground black pepper
Preparation: 1. Combine water, pesto and wine and mix well. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for 15 minutes. Remove from marinade, place on sheet pans and bake at 350F for 45-60 minutes. 2. Add milk to reserved marinade and bring to a boil. 3. Slowly add flour and stir until blended. 4. Add parsley and pepper and cook until thickened. Pour sauce over chicken.
FEBRUARY 2022 19
PRODUCE UPDATE
20 NOURISHING NEWS
ARREZZIO
PRODUCE UPDATE
FEBRUARY 2022 21
ARREZZIO
Long-Term Care Food Service Response to Ongoing Labour Shortages By Adalia Yang & Naomi Andrews University of Toronto Masters of Public Health Candidate Students Since 2020, the pandemic has added pressure to existing challenges such as the significant labour shortage in the food service industry, particularly in Long-Term Care (LTC) where sufficient staffing is necessary to provide adequate resident care (Ministry of Long-term Care, 2020). In Ontario alone, the LTC sector employs over 100,000 people who provide care for approximately 78,000 residents (Ministry of Longterm Care, 2020). There are many concerns that have been raised amidst the pandemic regarding the cause of the surge in unfilled positions, with some claiming the recovery benefit to be a significant demotivating reason to work and others pointing to stressful working conditions that disproportionately expose food service workers to COVID-19. Another barrier to solving labour shortages in the LTC food service industry include issues related to each province’s
unique legislative and regulatory frameworks (Ministry of Longterm Care, 2020). The challenge is determining how food service 22 NOURISHING NEWS
operations, particularly in LTC, should respond. Below are our top six tips to address labour shortages in LTC food service operations, while preserving menu quality and resident satisfaction:
1. Utilize more ready-to-serve or ready-to-bake menu items When faced with labour shortages, relying on food items that require less labour input can prevent overwhelm among food service staff while not compromising the quality of menu offerings. While a perception that cost can be higher for ready-to-serve and ready-to-bake items, however, this cost is likely to be offset by the reduced labour expenditure, due to the shortage and can support a more consistent meal quality and experience. Examples of ready-to-serve or readyto-bake items that can be incorporated into your facility’s menu include: toast, dinner rolls, french fries, macaroni and cheese, packaged salads, soups, sausages/patties, ready to
LABOUR SHORTAGES
serve boiled eggs, breaded chicken tenders/fish sticks, mozzarella sticks, yogurt, canned fruit, pudding, cookies, muffins, apple sauce, and ice cream.
2. Adapt “semi-scratch” recipes Semi-scratch recipes are an excellent alternative, as they save labour time but do not require a fully prepared product menu. Semi-scratch recipes use a combination of both prepared items, as well as raw ingredients. An example of a semi-scratch recipe may include a Shepherd’s Pie, that is created using frozen vegetables, ground beef and ready-to-bake mashed potatoes. An additional tip is to use ingredients that are common in multiple recipes, instead of just one recipe.
An example, courtesy of Sysco Nutrition Services (2020): a dinner entrée of Grilled Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli Florets would be an acceptable menu for residents on a regular diet, as well as various therapeutic diets, including heart healthy and diabetic. This dinner menu also includes a puree side, which reduces the amount of labour required to comply with various texture modified diets.
5. Turn to technology Increasingly, we are seeing the importance of technology in streamlining food service operations. It is challenging to keep abreast of day-to-day operations in food service even without a labour shortage and ongoing pandemic measures, much less with these added complications. Technology fits into a food service operation by automating administrative tasks. For example, the all-in-one software solution like Synergy Tech Suite® can keep track of inventory, cost of food, and procurement processes, and also keep menus, recipes, production sheets, and nutrition information all in one location. For LTC and Senior Living Homes, resident profiles can be created to simplify the menu planning process and keep track of allergies, therapeutic and texture-modified diets, as well as food preferences to simplify the production process to ensure the right meal goes to the right person, at the right time and place.
6. Tapping into Sysco’s resources Ingredients that can be incorporated to prepare semi-scratch recipes include: pre-made vegetable or chicken broth, pre-made sauces such as pasta sauce or curry mix, frozen vegetables, pre-chopped/peeled vegetables, canned fruit, and liquid eggs instead of shell eggs.
3. Choose simple recipes that contain few ingredients and simplified preparation methods With limited kitchen staff, it is important to include menu items that have simple recipes and minimal ingredients, to reduce the amount of labour required for preparation. Examples of simple recipes with minimal ingredients, courtesy of Sysco Nutrition Services (2020), include: • Scrambled Eggs and Cheese with Whole Wheat Toast* • Turkey Salad on Whole Wheat Bun with Tomato Garden Vegetable Soup* • Cream of Asparagus Soup with Cod Nuggets* • Meatballs with Tomato Sauce and Rotini* *Note: these items are ready-to-serve/ready-to-bake, paired with the simple recipe/minimal ingredient menu items
Sysco also offers a number of resources that can provide guidance to help LTC navigate the labour shortage challenge. Emergency Food Menus, such as Sysco’s 14-Day Low Labour Emergency Menu to Support Short-Staffed Senior Living & Healthcare Communities are available for free access to implement directly in the menu cycle or modify as needed.
We want to hear from you!
Your Sysco representatives are on your team to support your needs – reach out to them to address questions and concerns you may have and they will work with you to find the most appropriate solutions.
References: Charlebois, S. (August 25, 2021). Labour Shortage in the Food Industry? Nonsense. Our Labour Market Has Been Broken for Years. https://retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2021/08/labour-shortage-inthe-food-industry-nonsense-our-labour-market-has-been-broken-foryears-sylvain-charlebois/
4. Choose menu items that can be maximized across therapeutic and texture modified diets
Ministry of Long-term Care. (July 30, 2020). Long-term care staffing study. https://www.ontario.ca/page/long-term-care-staffing-study
Therapeutic (ex. diabetic, heart healthy or renal diets) and texture modified diets (ex. soft, minced or pureed diets) are common among LTC facilities, and often, they require their own unique menu cycle. When faced with labour shortages, it is important to choose menu items that can be maximized across regular, therapeutic and texture modified diets, to reduce labour required for preparation.
Sysco Nutrition Services. (2020). 14-Day Emergency Menu Toolkit. https://www.sysco.ca/dam/jcr:9528e6bf-2c03-48dc-90cc5e5c2ccdd4cb/Sysco%2014Day%20Emergency%20Menu%20 Implementation%20Toolkit_%20Final%20EN.pdf FEBRUARY 2022 23
Produce Update
24 NOURISHING NEWS
FEBRUARY 2022 25
26 NOURISHING NEWS
FEBRUARY 2022 27
28 NOURISHING NEWS
FEBRUARY 2022 29
30 NOURISHING NEWS
FEBRUARY 2022 31