Fruits and nuts

Fruit is the perfect snack. Sweet and satisfying it’s important to keep your fridge full of apples, pears and oranges so that you always have something. While drinking juice is OK actually eating a piece of fruit is likely better for you and more satisfying.

Nuts are great for you. They do have a lot of calories but even though most of the calories comes from fat it is the good monounsaturated fat that you want in your diet. There is in fact good research that if you replace a two ounce cookie with two ounces of nuts you won’t gain weight (even though the nuts may have more calories).

Ingredients:

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts
• Macadamia
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Pine Nuts
• Pistachios
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Walnuts

Recipes:

• Banana Nut Bread
• Banana Nut Muffins

The introduction of the NSW Food Authority auditing of the vulnerable persons food safety scheme FSANZ 3.3.1 has required all aged care facilities providing food service to vulnerable persons to implement a Food Safety Program (FSP) based on the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points). A review of a sample of member audit reports identified some common issues and corrective action requests (CARs). To assist members the ACS Food Safety Consultancy Team has put together the following Food Safety Tips, Common CARS and FAQs.

How to Prepare for an Audit
Be prepared. Have all documents ready for the auditor to review. Be confident to discuss issues raised by the auditor; Prepare staff for auditor to ask questions. It is to validate what is written in the FSP (food safety program). Staff will need to be able explain their processes. The auditor may ask questions and observe a procedure. For example, Do you puree/texture modify foods? How do you do it, what equipment do you use, do you take any temperatures of these foods, do you cool down any foods if so what? how? OR How do you sanitize fresh produce? Where is it done? How do you do it? How long do you keep it?

Who should use the checklist
Compliance with the Food Safety Standards is mandatory for all food businesses under the Food Act 2006. Penalties for non-compliance can be up to $37,500. This checklist has been designed to assist food businesses make a self-assessment of their level of compliance with the Food Safety Standards. It has been developed in consultation with various industry representatives and is suitable for use by all businesses involved in the handling, storing, and sale of food in Queensland. This includes food retailers, food service and take-away food businesses, catering, manufacturing and transporters of food. In fact, any business selling food would benefi t from using this selfassessment checklist to see how well they know your food business in terms of the food safety requirements.

Know your food business has been developed as a guide only. Advice specifi c to the food handling operations of your business and your compliance with the Food Safety Standards should always be obtained from your Local Government Environmental Health Offi cer.

Ice may be used as a food for human consumption and, like any other food, has the potential to cause food poisoning if it is not manufactured and handled under hygienic conditions. Everyone serving, handling or manufacturing ice that will be consumed or will come into contact with food, has a responsibility to ensure that the ice is safe, fit for consumption and free of harmful bacteria.

Food business operators need to be aware that ice is vulnerable to contamination and should consider the following points:

Is the ice ‘packaged ice’; and-

• manufactured in a commercial ice factory, not made and packed in unhygienic conditions such as ‘out the back’ of a local service station?
• labelled with the manufacturer’s lot identification (batch code) details, so it can be identified in case of a food recall?

Is the ice ‘unpackaged ice’; and

• hygienically stored, handled and displayed?

Tom The Piper’s Son’s Freeze: Take two graham cracker squares and spread peanut butter on both halves. Place 3-4 slices of banana on top of the peanut butter of one half and cover with the other half (peanut butter side in). Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Serve frozen.

Little Jack Horner’s Dip: Combine 1 cup plain yogurt with 1 cup salsa. Chill and serve with cut veggies.

Little Miss Muffet’s Mix: Toss light microwave popcorn with Cheerios., dried fruit bits, pretzel twists, and roasted, unsalted peanuts. (For children over three.)

Georgie Porgie’s Graperfection: Freeze red and green grapes. Serve cold. (Cut grapes in small pieces for children under three.)

Jack Sprat’s Parfait: Put 1.3 of one (8-oz.) container of low-fat vanilla yogurt in a paper cup or medium-size glass tumbler. Top with . cup chopped fruit or blueberries and 2 tablespoons of Grape-NutsR. Repeat layering.

What does it mean to “Eat for Two?”
While you are pregnant, you are feeding both yourself and your growing baby. Your baby depends on you to choose food for both of you. That is what it means to “Eat for Two.” Eating for two does NOT mean that you should double the amount of food you eat during pregnancy. Rather, you should eat healthy foods for both you and your baby. Eating well can help you:

• Stay healthy
• Have a normal weight gain
• Avoid common problems such as nausea and constipation
• Prepare for labor and delivery

Eating well can help your baby:

• Grow and develop
• Be born healthy
• Be born on time
• Be a good size