An evaluation of emergency food bags

Abstract

Increasing reliance on private food assistance has been well publicized. The objective of this study was to document food group and nutrient content of emergency food bags provided by a large community service organization. Randomly selected food bags were assessed for group portions offered, and nutrient composition. Food bags for individuals contained 17 +/- 3 different items. The per cent contribution of macronutrients to energy was 12.4, 30.8 and 56.8 for protein, fat and carbohydrate, respectively. On a per person per day basis, provision of foods to meet the guidelines for Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating was successful for grain products (5-18 servings), highly variable for vegetables and fruit and meat and alternatives (4-12 and 1-8 servings, respectively) and inadequate for milk products (1 serving). Calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A were the nutrients most often below recommended intake levels