Choose the BEST!
Promote healthy items in your vending machines with hidden prize stickers – maybe a lucky student could be Principal-for-a-Day!
- What do the nutrition ratings of Choose Most, Choose Sometimes, Choose Least, and Not Recommended mean?
- Can I use these nutrition ratings on the Brand Name Food List website to plan my grocery list for my family?
- Why can’t I find whole wheat flour or vegetable oil on the Brand Name Food List?
- Do you have any tips for searching the product list?
- How can I be sure the item on the product list is the same one I’m looking for?
- Why is what we typically sell being replaced by “healthier choices”?
- What if we work in a private school, or a BC recreation facility or BC municipal office that isn’t included in the School Guidelines or the Public Buildings policy? Can we still switch to healthier choices?
- I’m a food service manager in a hospital outside of British Columbia. Can I use the Brand Name Food List to help make changes there?
- How do we apply the public guidelines in hospital settings where some people have special dietary needs?
- Why does the public building policy only apply to vending machines?
- Who can I call for help with the school guidelines or public building policy?
- I am a food manufacturer/vendor. I have a food product I would like to offer, but it doesn’t meet the Choose Most or Choose Sometimes nutrition criteria. Who will work with me to help modify my product so that it does fall within the guidelines?
- I am on my child’s school’s Parent Advisory Council. We would like to meet the guidelines very quickly. How can we do this? Who can we contact to help us do this?
- I am responsible for the hot lunch program at my child’s school. Given the new guidelines, how can I prepare easy, healthy alternatives? I do not have much storage or prep space or time.
- My son's teacher told me that I can’t send “Not Recommended” items with my son's lunch.
- Now that I can’t sell cupcakes for fundraising, what can I sell? What are healthier fund raising choices?
- If a food meets all aspects of the Guidelines but is high for salt, would it still fit?
- Who are some healthy vendors our school can use?
- We would love to offer healthier food, but we really need the revenue we get from the pop and chips. How can we meet the Guidelines and still make the money we need?
- We have a fast food restaurant and corner store within 2 blocks of our secondary school. How can our healthy food compete with what they are selling?
- I am trying to create a scorecard, but am unable to find a product that is in my vending machine, what can I do?
- I have done a search on the Brand Name Food List and a number of products called ‘generic NR’ are listed. What are these and what is their purpose?
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What do the nutrition ratings of Choose Most, Choose Sometimes, Choose Least, and Not Recommended mean?
Answer: “Choose Most” is a name given to the category that should, according to BC standards, make up at least 50% of the choices offered in BC schools (all sales) and public buildings (vending sales). “Choose Sometimes” is the name given to the category that should make up the rest. Nutrition and ingredient criteria for each category is described in detail on the appropriate BC Government Ministry standards websites (see Links). “Choose Least” and “Not Recommended” are names given to categories that should not be sold in BC’s schools and public buildings.
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Can I use these nutrition ratings on the Brand Name Food List website to plan my grocery list for my family?
Answer: No, that is not the intended use of this list. The nutrition ratings on the Brand Name Food List government standards were designed to guide food and beverage stocking strategies in public places, they are not to guide individual purchasing habits or consumption patterns. Also, the Brand Name Food List focuses on packaged and franchised ready-to-serve items, primarily in individual portions. Therefore it doesn’t include many very healthy packaged choices that require preparation or healthy unpackaged choices like fresh vegetables and fruit, that should be chosen by consumers. And lastly, the percentages from each category recommended are intended for sales offerings and do not represent the proportion from each category an individual should eat.
For help planning a healthy grocery list for your family, contact Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC or some of the useful tools at Dietitians of Canada’s website.
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Why can’t I find whole wheat flour or vegetable oil on the Brand Name Food List?
Answer: The Brand Name Food List is meant for ready-to-eat, packaged and franchised foods and beverages. It is not meant for individual ingredients that will be used in the preparation of foods and beverages, such as those prepared from scratch.
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Do you have any tips for searching the product list?
Answer: The “keyword” is a great place to start – it searches the entire list including manufacturer and product names. Enter just one word or a partial word, avoiding pluralizations. Be brief. For example if you want to see all of Dairyland’s products, but you’re unsure if Dairyland is one or two words, just enter “Dairy” in the keyword (or manufacturer name) box. The search engine will find all products with “dairy” anywhere in their name.
Remember that only about 9 items show at a time, but there may be hundreds of items to see – use the page buttons immediately below the search results to see the rest of the items.
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How can I be sure the item on the product list is the same one I’m looking for?
Answer: Check the manufacturer name, product name, flavour, and product size carefully. If you have the package in front of you, you can also compare the Nutrition Facts panel on it to the product in the search results -- click on the product size (it appears in a different colour) and the Nutrition Facts panel will appear. If the Nutrition Facts are the same, it is almost certainly the same product.
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Why is what we typically sell being replaced by “healthier choices”?
Answer: The BC Government is committed to improving our health and reducing health care costs associated with poor eating through a number of measures, one of which is improving the food environment so that it is easier to make healthy choices, and harder to make unhealthy choices. In schools, this will also improve a student’s ability to learn.
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What if we work in a private school, or a BC recreation facility or BC municipal office that isn’t included in the School Guidelines or the Public Buildings policy? Can we still switch to healthier choices?
Answer: Yes, it would be terrific for you to switch to stocking healthier choices. Many recreation facilities and municipalities are already taking steps to healthier choices. Contact Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC to connect with someone near you who is actively making improvements in a food environment similar to yours.
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I’m a food service manager in a hospital outside of British Columbia. Can I use the Brand Name Food List to help make changes there?
Answer: The nutrition criteria used in the Brand Name Food List reflect BC’s standards and should not replace any local standards for your area. Contact your local public health centre to find out what the standards are in your province/state/country.
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How do we apply the public guidelines in hospital settings where some people have special dietary needs?
Answer: Currently the policy for public buildings applies to food and beverages sold in vending machines only. Hospitals may provide clinically required foods as part of their regular patient food service. Other items can be sold in cafeterias, coffee shops, gift shops etc, however we encourage these sales venues to be as healthy as possible.
A public building such as a hospital, health centre, or Ministry of Children and Families office may also decide to mimic the school guidelines in vending machines that children have access to. For example, the school guidelines limit (but the Public Buildings do not) caffeinated products and fortified beverages. The school guidelines at the elementary/middle school level further restrict artificially sweetened products.
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Why does the public building policy only apply to vending machines?
Answer: Vending machines operate 24 hours a day, and are not staffed making it difficult for the public/employees to request healthier choices personally. There is a possibility that the public building policy will expand to other food services in the future and some health authorities in BC are considering doing this. In the interim, we encourage members of the public and employees to approach the food services in their public buildings to increase the number and variety of healthy options and to decrease less healthy options.
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Who can I call for help with the school guidelines or public building policy?
Answer: British Columbia residents can call Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC for help with questions about the school guidelines. They can also answer questions about the public building policy that relate to food and nutrition. For all other questions about the pubic building policy (i.e. is my building considered a “public building”?) you can e-mail the customer service contact at Healthier.Choices@gov.bc.ca
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I am a food manufacturer/vendor. I have a food product I would like to offer, but it doesn’t meet the Choose Most or Choose Sometimes nutrition criteria. Who will work with me to help modify my product so that it does fall within the guidelines?
Answer: The best thing to do is contact an expert in food science to work with you and help develop/reformulate your product. To find someone who will work with you and for links to appropriate resources, call Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC.
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I am on my child’s school’s Parent Advisory Council. We would like to meet the guidelines very quickly. How can we do this? Who can we contact to help us do this?
Answer: Your local Community Nutritionist or Public Health Nurse should be able to help you, or there might be a Health Promoting Schools Coordinator at your School District Office. Call Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC for the name of someone to call. You can also ask your vending machine operator and your cafeteria manager (or lunch caterer) for help – most of them are familiar with the Guidelines.
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I am responsible for the hot lunch program at my child’s school. Given the new guidelines, how can I prepare easy, healthy alternatives? I do not have much storage or prep space or time.
Answer: Check out the Healthier Foods Fact Sheet available at the Ministry of Education website for tips on easy healthy meals that kids like. You could also have the lunches catered, and ask your caterer to follow the Guidelines or the Healthier Foods Fact Sheet. Call Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC for more ideas.
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My son's teacher told me that I can’t send “Not Recommended” items with my son's lunch.
Answer: It’s great that your son’s teacher is interested in health. However, the guidelines apply only to foods sold to students in school. They do not apply to foods brought from home. For healthy lunch ideas, link to Lunches To Go.
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Now that I can’t sell cupcakes for fundraising, what can I sell? What are healthier fund raising choices?
Answer: Fundraising events at school are a great way to promote your school's values to your students and to the community. They can also help build school spirit and a sense of teamwork amongst parents. There are many excellent fundraising ideas at BC's website, Healthy Eating at School and in the following document: Healthy Fundraising for Schools. Also check out the BC Healthy Schools Network newsletters for local examples. The Healthier Foods Fact Sheet has some ideas for healthier muffins that you could sell.
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If a food meets all aspects of the Guidelines but is high for salt, would it still fit?
Answer: No. Any single nutrient such as sodium or sugar or fat that exceeds the criteria means that item does not fit.
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Who are some healthy vendors our school can use?
Answer: All vendors have the potential to be healthy. Before signing a contract, ask them for an inventory of the items they vend including the Choose rating and suggested vending price for each item. See the sample vending contract template at http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/health/hsnetwork/ministry_rfp_vending_services_2007.doc. A list of BC Vendors can be found on the Healthy Eating as School website. Finally, your vendor might want to use the "My Scorecard" area of the Brand Name Food List website to show how their vending machines’ contents will meet the Guidelines.
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We would love to offer healthier food, but we really need the revenue we get from the pop and chips. How can we meet the Guidelines and still make the money we need?
Answer: Healthier food can bring in just as much revenue as unhealthy food, however it does take some extra effort to make the switch. We have heard many examples of schools and businesses making the switch and most of them have only positive things to report, including steady or even increased revenue (after a few months of adjusting to the change). It is true that a few schools have not had a positive experience, but we encourage them to try again now that public support is so strong and there are better products available.
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We have a fast food restaurant and corner store within 2 blocks of our secondary school. How can our healthy food compete with what they are selling?
Answer: Keeping students on campus is always a problem – it was even when schools were selling junk food. The usual strategies to keep them on campus can be used – interesting events, giving them a great place to eat and socialize with their friends, etc. Most schools that switch to healthier choices find that there is an initial increase in the number of students leaving campus at lunch, but it drops back to normal within a couple months. Elementary and middle school students entering your school in the future will be more used to healthy choices and that should help reduce off-campus lunch expeditions.
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I am trying to create a scorecard, but am unable to find a product that is in my vending machine, what can I do?
Answer: If you cannot find a product on the Brand Name Food List, and you are quite sure it is a Not Recommended (NR) item, do a key word search for “generic”. A number of sample “Not Recommended” food and beverages will be returned. Select a sample item from the list of Not Recommended (NR) foods and beverages that best matches the product you wish to add to your scorecard.
Examples of foods and beverages that will most likely score ‘Not Recommended’ include:
- High fat/sugary/salty baked goods and other grains, such as pastries, cookies and some granola bars
- High fat and salty snacks, such as potato, corn and tortilla chips
- Most drinks, blends, cocktails, splashes and beverages, if sweetened with added sugar
- Many frozen novelties and ice cream bars.
- Most candy, chocolate or ‘yogurt’ coated fruit and nuts
- Sports drinks, energy drinks and regular soft drinks.
For more examples, please see the Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools or Nutritional Guidelines for Vending Machines in BC Public Buildings.
If you think your product meets the “Guidelines for the Sale of Food and Beverages” as a ‘Choose Sometimes’ or ‘Choose Most’ item, go to the “Submit an Item” page to have it added to the Brand Name Food List.
If you have any questions, please contact Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC at 8-1-1
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I have done a search on the Brand Name Food List and a number of products called ‘generic NR’ are listed. What are these and what is their purpose?
Answer: On the Brand Name Food List you will find a list of ‘generic’ Not Recommended (NR) food and beverages. These items have been entered as sample Not Recommended (NR) items for people creating scorecards for a vending machine that includes “Not Recommended” foods they can not find in the Brand Name Food List. The administrator of the Brand Name Food List gives priority to adding ‘Choose Most’ and ‘Choose Sometimes’ foods items and therefore many ‘Not Recommended’ items in the market place have not been added to the Brand Name Food List database. To allow users to complete a scorecard for their vending machine that may include “Not Recommended’ foods and beverages that are not included in the Brand Name Food List database we have created a number of ‘generic’ ‘Not Recommended’ foods and beverages such as a generic a chocolate bar or sports drink. These items are almost always “Not Recommended”.