How does a food bank work?
A food bank collects food from various resources (e.g. grocery stores, fruit and vegetable vendors, manufacturers, etc.) and then it divides the items up in order to offer food baskets to families in need.
A family of one or two people will receive one bag of bread, one bag of fruits and vegetables, one bag of protein items (cans, etc.) and one bag of diverse dry and miscellaneous items (cereal, pasta, salad dressing, etc.).
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Where do the items in my food basket come from?
All of the food in your basket has been donated. MultiCaf collects these items from several different sources. Our largest supplier of donated food is Harvest Montreal. We also collect bread from local bakeries and fruits and vegetables from local vendors.
There are several reasons an organization might donate their food to us. Bakeries and fruit and vegetable vendors find it difficult to sell certain items, so they give them to us. Manufacturers give us surplus items. Grocery stores give us items that have labels that have been damaged. By collecting these donations, we can pass them on to families in need.
We do our best to sort through the donations and eliminate any food products that are obviously unsuitable for consumption—bulging cans, items that are leaking, etc. Never the less, we rely on you to use your common sense to sort through the items at home. Please use the information in this brochure to guide you through your food bank experience.
If you have any questions or concerns about something you received in our food basket, please don’t hesitate to speak with one of the MultiCaf employees.
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Tips for getting the most out of your food basket:
• Good storage practices matter!
- As soon as you get home, sort and store your perishables right away.
- Keep non-perishables in a cool, dry place. Before you open jars, cans or bottles, wash them with a little soap and water. Remember to wash the can opener after each use as well.
• Rotate your food!
- When you return home from the food bank, check the date on all items and plan your menus so that you use the oldest items first.
• Be resourceful!
- If you can’t find a “best before” date on an item of food or if the date has passed, ask a MultiCaf employee for more information. You can also check the item’s label for a phone number—you can call the manufacturer and get info from them. Many canned foods may have lost some of their flavour and nutritional value after the “best before” date, but they are still edible and safe to eat for a period of time. Call and check!
- Sort your fruits and veggies as soon as you get home. Discard parts that have gone bad and prepare the rest for use. Freeze anything that you don’t think you will use soon.
• Look and Smell—use your senses!
- Use your common sense above all. When you open an item of food, does it look like it has spoiled? Does it smell bad?
• When in doubt, throw it out!
- Trust your instincts. If you can’t be sure if the food is safe to eat, don’t take a risk—throw it out!
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General Safety Guidelines for Non-Perishables:
• Keep an eye out for items that require you to “Refrigerate after opening”; for example: mayonnaise, salad dressing, jams, syrup and marinades. Be sure to follow the directions and refrigerate promptly.
• Throw away—without tasting—any canned item that shows the following warning signs:
-Severe dents
-Extensive rust or corrosion
-Leaking
-Bulging
-Stains
Warning signs to look for once a canned item has been opened:
-Spurting upon opening
-Looks: bubbly; curdled; mouldy
-Smells: putrid; sour; “like rotten eggs”
-Tastes: rancid; “off” flavour; bitter
(Taste only if look and smell are normal.)
A can’s content showing any of these warning signs may be contaminated by bacteria and toxins and should not be consumed.
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Question: What does the “best before” date mean?
Answer: A “best before” date indicates the last day a manufacturer will guarantee a food’s quality and nutritional value.
To illustrate this, let’s use an example of a can of tuna with a “best before” date of June 10th. Until June 10th, the manufacturer will guarantee that their tuna is tasty and full of the nutrients listed on the label—in other words, the tuna is best eaten before the 10th of June.
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Question: Do all foods have to list a “best before” date?
Answer: No. Only foods that have a durable life of 90 days or less are required to list a “best before” date. The durable life of a food is the amount of time that an unopened product will retain all of its wholesomeness, taste, nutritional value, and any other qualities claimed by the manufacturer, when stored under appropriate conditions. Manufacturers and retailers are responsible for determining the durable life of foods they manufacture and sell.
The “best before” date is usually listed with the year first, then the month, and finally, the day.
For example: “Best before 090213” means the product has an expiry date of February 13th 2009.
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Question: Can you eat a food product if its “best before” date has passed?
Answer: It depends—follow the safety guidelines listed in this brochure and treat every item uniquely.
Foods that have a low level of proteins, dry foods, and foods high in acid content have a low risk of spoiling by the “best before” date. Foods in these groups include items like breakfast cereals, crackers, pastas, fruit juices, and tomatoes. Even after the “best before” date, these items can be safe to eat for weeks, even months. The taste and flavour might have diminished a little, but in general, they will be safe to eat for a period of time. If you receive a product with a “best before” date that has passed, ask a MultiCaf employee for advice or call the manufacturer for details, especially if you are pregnant, elderly or if you plan on using the food to feed children.
To continue on with our example of a can of tuna, let’s say it is the 23rd of June. The “best before” date has passed. This means that the tuna may have lost some of its original nutrients, or that maybe it might not taste as good as the manufacturer originally intended. The fact that the “best before” date has passed, however, does not necessarily mean the tuna is no longer edible or safe to eat.
To demonstrate the wide variance between the “best before” date and food safety, we called Can Grow, the company that produces food with the labels Del Monte, Primo and Aylmer. They said that their canned foods are generally reliable for up to six months after the “best before” date. They explained that the taste and quality of the food might diminish during those six months, but it should be safe to eat.
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Question: If the food item has been opened, is the “best before” date still important?
Answer: Yes. If you open a food item before the “best before” date has passed, you can follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for storing the item. However, if you open a food item which has a “best before” date that has passed, you should minimize the amount of time you keep it.
For example, once opened, a jar of mayonnaise can be kept in the fridge for up to 2-3 months. If the “best before” date on the jar has passed, however, once you open the jar, you should only keep it for consumption for 3-4 weeks. For items in this category, remember to use the safety guidelines each time you plan to use them.
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A few tips about Fruits and Vegetables
• Proper preparation and storage are your best defenses against quick spoiling.
• Before and after handling fruits and vegetables, always wash your hands.
• Before using fresh fruits and vegetables, thoroughly wash them under cold running water (do not use soap or detergents). If necessary, use a clean produce brush to scrub the skin.
• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas. Clean your knife after cutting away each damaged or bruised area.
• Refrigerate produce as quickly as possible. If you do not think you will be able to consume something before it will spoil, consider freezing it.
• Some fruits and veggies prefer being kept in the fridge and some don’t. Check your local library or the internet for a list that will tell you which produce prefers which storage method.
• Additionally, certain fruits and vegetables should not be stored together. For example, apples emit a gas that will spoil leafy greens, if they are stored together. Check your library or the internet for more information.
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A few tips about Dairy Products
• No matter what the “best before” date is or where you got your dairy products—at MultiCaf or the local grocery store—you should always first check the product for warning signs before you use it: look for mould, bad smells, rancid taste, etc.
• Some dairy products can be consumed past their expiry date, like hard cheeses and yoghurts.
• Avoid storing dairy products in the door of your refrigerator. The temperature is not constant enough to maintain the freshness of the items.
• A fresh egg will sink in water while an older egg will float.
• Eggs should be stored in an egg carton. The carton protects the eggs and prevents them from absorbing strong odours and flavours of other foods.
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