Welcome to the very first midyear issue of Food-service Resources. Church Resources has re-cently gone through a process of relaunching; including a complete overhaul of the look and feel of this publication and extensive changes to our website. We believe this will ultimately de-liver significant and value adding operational resources to our members in the area of Food-service. Our goal is for Church Resources to become “your first resource” - it is that simple.

The Foodservice team at Church Resources have been working with the industry on behalf of our Members to secure support and supply agree-ments to deliver value and drive continuous im-provement. We are very excited to announce some new supply Partners for 2010 - with more on the way. Both Kraft Foodservice and M&J Chickens have increased their support for the not for profit sector by joining the Church Resources Foodservice Program, with particular concern and support for the Aged and Health Care sectors and specifically the welfare of Residents and Patients.

Also I am pleased to be able to announce that we now have increased personnel resources onboard the Foodservice team which will allow us to bring our unique model of a no cost, no risk consultan-cy and customer service offering to more Mem-bers more quickly. Joining us in the newly created Foodservice Co-ordinator role is Margi Shah who brings a wealth of technical and administration experience and in the new Foodservice Business Development Manager position Caith Angel who is both highly qualified and experienced in Strategic Procurement and Foodservice. The next twelve months will be extremely exciting indeed.

If you are visiting the CHA conference in Adelaide or the ASCA National conference in Hobart later this year, please look out for the Church Resourc-es Continuous Improvement in Foodservice exhi-bition stand, and make some time to catch up with us. I look forward to it.

Warmest Winter and Spring regards from your Church Resources Foodservice team.

Martin Kenrick

ManagerChurch Resources Foodservice

From farmgate to plate and waste. Reducing the total cost of the supply chain while improving quality and driving process improvement.

So what are the key new and changedfeatures?

Login page:

1. The buttons on the login page are much larger and stand out more. 2. The old ‘New User’ button has changed to Register Here to make it clearer that registration is required to FFF/FHF.

3. With a larger Forgotten Password? hopefully our Branch Web Administrators will receive less calls about mislaid passwords!

Inside FFF/FHF

Left hand menu:1. The sub menu now pops out to the right of the main menu. This prevents the rest of the main menu from disappearing off the bottom of the web page on smaller resolution computer monitors (which many of our customers have).

2. History has been split into Reports and Accounts: a. Reports includes order Acknowledgements, Previous Purchases, Usage, Stocktake, Data Extracts. b. Accounts includes Orders, Invoices, Credits.

Order Basket:3. Auto Order Form which provides instant access to an order form based on their past 6 months purchases, has been turned into a “quick link” button at the top of the order basket.

4. A “quick link” button to the Order Forms area is also included at the top of the basket.

5. The Order button at the bottom of the basket which takes the customer to the Checkout Page has been renamed Finalise Order, so that it better explains that there is another step prior to checkout.

A new look has been put live on FFF and FHF, to give them a more modern look,

and to improve accessibility to key areas of the website.

All the familiar elements of FFF/FHF will be available, so that customers can still

access the core features they currently enjoy.

Gourmet Garden’s FoodService Select range is one the most anticipated and most innovativeadditions in kitchens all round the world.

+ Great range of popular herbs and spices

+ Strong flavour - means you use less

+ Proudly Australian owned and made

+ Excellent value - all the picking, peeling, chopping and washing is already done for you

+ Exceptional efficiencies - saves you time and money

+ Convenient, re-usable packaging

+ Easy flip-top lid - minimises the risk of contamination

+ Makes adding fresh herbs and spices easy

Fresh made easy

As the old saying goes, ‘time is money’. So in today’s economy, never has the search for smarter ways of doing things been more important. This is no less true in the foodservice industry.

The Gourmet Garden FoodService Select range delivers on two fronts: fresh taste and unmatched efficiency - making it a vital ingredient to the ongo-ing success of any commercial kitchen.

The product is unique. Its patented manufacturing process allows for the flavour and nutritional value of fresh herbs and spices to be maintained within a cold chain process. What’s more, it has a longer shelf life, and the added convenience of an easy to use squeezable paste format.

Quality & Safety assured

+ Grown and manufactured in HACCP and ISO accredited facilities

+ Certified Organic Processor

+ Comprehensively equipped and staffed Mircrobiological Testing Laboratory and flavour analysis equipment

Introducing Simplot’s Gourmet Garden’s new FoodService

Select, a unique range of fresh tasting chopped herbs and

spices created exclusively for foodservice professionals.

NO artificial flavouringNO corn starch or high fructose corn syrupNO artificial coloursNO artificial preservativesNO genetically modified ingredients

Each variety is different in the make up of ingredients, however the most common ones include:

+ Fresh herbs and spices delivered within hours of harvesting+ Canola oil+ Sea salt+ Sugars - Dextrose and Fructose+ Vegetable Gum

In support of State governments’ ambition to make healthier food choices easier for consum-ers, Sara Lee has developed the first national range of bakery snacks to comply with the “Am-ber” category for retail sale in public healthcare facilities – Sara Lee Lite Bakes. This new range of 8 muffins, cakes and slices, will be available nationally on Monday 31st of May 2010.

The Lite Bakes range has been developed and portioned with healthy eating in mind and in-cludes: a Blueberry Muffin with a blueberry sauce centre, a Choc Muffin with a berry sauce centre, a Banana Muffin with a berry sauce centre, a Ba-nana Cake, a Choc Vanilla Cake, a Carrot Cake, an Apple Slice and a Fruit Cobbler Slice. Each product has reduced fat compared with the stan-dard Sara Lee product, is a source of fibre and has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

Promoted as a program to make healthier choic-es, easy choices, using green, amber and red categories for display proportions, State govern-ments aim to reduce the availability of ‘red’ foods whilst increasing ‘green’ menu items. In a study conducted nationally, to understand the bakery needs of kiosk and canteen retailers within health care facilities (non-patient); 84% said it had been implemented to some degree in their hospital, and 67% said they were fully implementing the healthier choices program. However, the majority stated that their main concerns were: the ability to keep prices in line with customer expecta-tions, the diversity of product offerings, keeping products appealing to customers and turnover of products leading to waste. Sara Lee has taken these findings and developed and portioned the Lite Bakes range to provide a solution to retail-ers within healthcare facilities and assist them to comply with the State governments’ healthier choices guidelines. “Sara Lee supports the State governments’ ambition to make healthier choices easier for all consumers. That’s why we’ve worked hard to develop our new diverse and deli-cious Lite Bakes range.” Nick Roberts: Marketing

Director of Sare Lee Bakery.

Sara Lee has developed one set of criteria for their Lite Bakes range that meets the States’ “Amber” criteria. “Variety and choice within the range is key – an estimated 60% of patronage through the retail outlets is staff from within the facility. To keep coming back they require a range of choice, and, there’s just not enough out there at present that is ‘tasty, treat-ish’ food that deliv-ers to the nutritional guidelines.” (Quote from The Leading Edge Research). The Lite Bakes range is individually portioned and wrapped for hygiene and convenience in busy healthcare retail and hospitality facilities, and can be stored frozen to reduce waste.

Sara Lee believes their new Lite Bakes range of-fers a solution to retailers within healthcare facili-ties. By offering a tasty, diverse range of bakery snacks that meets the ‘Amber” criteria across 5 states, the Lite bakes range fills a gap in menu supply without impacting current costs, mar-gins and diversity of product offering – making it easier to comply with the governments’ healthier choices guidelines. The Lite Bakes range will be available via normal distribution channels from Monday the 31st May 2010. For more information please visit www.foodservice.saralee.com.au.

Sara Lee

Sara Lee is Australia’s largest manufacturer of frozen desserts. Each year they produce in excess of 50 million cakes, desserts & savoury

Sara Lee Releases the First National Range of Bakery Snacks to Meet State

Governments’ “Amber” Guidelines for Public Healthcare Facilities

items, including 400 different cakes, desserts, dairy based items, ice creams, savoury foods and snacks. Sara Lee is committed to delivering the highest quality and safest food products on the market. A dedicated technical services staff of 20 people provides onsite expertise throughout the product development and production processes. Sara Lee was one of the first companies in the bakery industry to achieve HACCP 9000 accredi-tation.

Research

Research conducted by The Leading Edge with the objectives of understanding; the bakery needs of end users within health care facilities (non-patient), and end users’ understanding and attitudes to the State Health Department nutri-tional guidelines, and implementation progress.

In-depth interviews (1 hour): N=4 (Across Bris-bane and Sydney)

Face-to-face interviews (30mins): N=32 (Across NSW, QLD, VIC, SA & WA)

Interviews conducted at a mix of large, medium and small institutions including urban and rural facilities.

Governments’ Healthier Choices

Guidelines

For more information, please visit:WA: www.healthyoptions.health.wa.gov.au

SA: www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/branches/health-promotion/stafffoodchoicespolicy-sss-sahealth-091126.pdf

NSW: www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/pd/2009/pdf/PD2009_081.pdf

QLD: www.health.qld.gov.au/ph/Documents/abetterchoice/32511_a.pdf

VIC: www.health.vic.gov.au/healthvictoria/feb10/healthy.h

Apple Slice

Banana Cake

Banana Muffin

Blueberry Muffin

Choc Vanilla Cake

A leading not-for-profit Aged Care provider, Benetas is helping make mealtimes for families living with a dementia a more positive experi-ence. Funded by the Federal Government anddeveloped by Benetas, the Happy Eating Pilot Project will target families of Italian and Greek speaking backgrounds who have a familymember with moderate dementia living in the western region of Melbourne.

Benetas CEO Sandra Hills said the aim is to help make mealtimes a more enjoyable experience.

“Our bi-lingual carers will receive special training to work with families to introduce strategies to help make eating more enjoyable. Thesestrategies include learning to stimulate appetite for the person with dementia, establishingroutines, reducing distractions, simplifyingcooking and alleviating mealtime stress in the kitchen.”

Mealtimes play an exceptionally important role in reducing social isolation, which is a major issue facing the ageing population. Food is alsoimportant in identifying with culture and reliving memories, said Hills.

Through the project, families will be assisted to understand how their family member withdementia can be more involved in family life, such as meal preparation and cleaning up, which allows them to continue to make a contribution to the household.

The provider said there are over 5000 people over the age of 65 living with dementia in the western region of Melbourne alone. The area is also becoming increasingly culturally andlinguistically diverse.

While Benetas case managers currently arrange

a vast variety of services for their clients, none are currently in a position to offer this sort oftailored, specialised support, Hills said.

Benetas will trial the project with some of its current clients and families. The project has four key aims in the initial 12-month period: increase understanding of dementia; reduce stigma surrounding dementia; empower those who have dementia and to reduce their social isolation.“We look forward to working closely with the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing, Alzheimer’s Australia Vic and community representatives from Greek and Italian backgrounds to ensure the project is a success,” said Hills.

© 2006-2010 APN Educational Media

Provider launches new trial to help relatives of people living with dementia

• Kraft Tasty Cheese

• Kraft Vegemite

• Fully cooked, natural style protein based products with 42 days use by

• A direct delivery service of dedicated HACCP accredited vehicles utilising a unique and cost effective logistics model.

Church Resources has recently partnered with Kraft, who have over 80 years of experience in Australian food production.

Kraft foods is a fully independent global company with 90,000 employees worldwide. Globally, they are the 2nd largest food and beverage company with a presence in approximately 150 countries. Kraft foods and its brands are house-

hold names synonymous with high

quality, nutritious, and great tasting

food, including:

• Kraft Oreo

• Kraft Toblerone

• Kraft Philadelphia Cheese

• Kraft Peanut Butter

After surveying the supply market we have partnered with M & J CHICKENS to supply our Members with high quality fresh poultry products. M & J CHICKENS was established as a family business in 1984, and has grown into a modern, respected, multi site, poultry based, value added and cooked product supplier. M & J take a cre-ative approach to delivering food solutions to their varied customer base, and their success is based on the commitment, expertise and skills of the proprietors, management and employee team. M & J CHICKENS can provide you

with:

• Superior quality fresh poultry products, mostly packed in 5kg vacuum bags

• A quality range of Portion Control chicken fillets.

• Ranges of kebabs/souvlaki, with a choice of 20 flavours, and three sizes.

Church Resources is proud to welcome Kraft and M & J Chickens to our

foodservice program

Baking in AustraliaBaking has played an important role in supplying sustenance to Australia. Even before the industry was recognised through the formation of The Mas-ter Bakers’ Association in 1891, bread played a major part in the diet of people living in Australia.

The Goodman Fielder Fresh Baking division is one of the largest bakers in Australasia, with a portfo-lio of brands that are household names in Austra-lia and New Zealand. The business has leading market shares in most of the market segments in which it competes.

Goodman Fielder Baking BrandsYou may not know all the brands Goodman Fielder has available in foodservice.

Helga’s Continental Breads - Helga’s offers high quality, European style grain bread loaves and black breads. They use a range of flours, whole grains and seeds.

Helga’s Seed Sensations - are unique loaves. Totally seed encrusted this range of breads has been made with contemporary Australian tastes in mind.

Lawson’s Traditional Breads - from the extra-wide tins they are baked in to the brown paper bags they are served in, these breads are wholesome as the day is long.

Wonder White - all Wonder bread products have twice the fibre of regular white bread and as much fibre as regular wholemeal bread without artificial preservatives.

Mission - so much more that just plain tortillas, Mission gives your customers a great range in-cluding regular flour, wholemeal and whole wheat products, different bread styles and an exciting ar-ray of flavours to help them spice up their home cooking.

Molenberg - low in fat, Molenberg is a premium light grain bread range that is full of the energy and goodness of grains.

Country Life Bakery - has a range of health breads catering for a range of allergies and intolerances. It also has gluten free and functional breads in-cluding low GI.

GrainsSome of these brands contain wholegrainvarieties. And one in particular, Country LifeBakery uses a range of non-wheat whole grains to create a range of breads aimed at people with gluten intolerance and wheat sensitivity. Great tasting and perfect for all foodservice patrons, some of the breads are made using:

QuinoaQuinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is a grain whose heritage derives from the Americas. Cultivated by the Incas this grain is packed with protein as well as containing minerals like calcium, phospho-rous, zinc and iron. Gluten free, it is also a low GI food.

RyeRye contains essential vitamins and minerals. B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc are all to be found in this versatile grain. Full of soluble and insoluble fibre, its flavour can be inhanced by roasting.

BarleyAs well as soluble and insoluble fibre, Beta glucan can be found in rye. Beta glucan helps lower cho-lesterol.

FlaxseedsThese are full of Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E. They are also bursting with fibre too.

Why look to other grains as well as wheat?By using a diverse range of breads in food service establishments you can provide choice for your patrons. People with gluten free diets, those on lower wheat diets and other customers just look-ing for new flavours and textures in their breads from the hotel breakfast buffet to the daily lunch-time sandwich can all be catered for by planning a selection of breads for every occasion.

Foodservice Usage IdeasWhen purchasing bread for use in the foodservice industry, breakfast toast and lunchtime sandwich-es might be the first things to come to mind. But bread can be so much more versatile than that.

Finger food for functions, like mini bruschetta, all-in-one breakfasts on the go with eggs, bacon and more baked into bread cups, crunchy croutons for spectacular summer salads or warming winter soups, the options are limited only by imagina-tion.

National Foods & Church ResourcesNational Foods limited is a national food and bev-erage company with operations across the whole of Australia. National Foods produce and distrib-ute the #1 market leading brands across all the categories in which it operates. Church Resources and National Foods have developed a strong re-lationship where by all members and groups have access to an agreed range of fresh Milk and Dairy brands at bespoke Church Resources pricing. The relationship represents a significant source of val-ue for members on critical day-to-day products.

The categories that form part of the supplypartnership include:

Cream (fresh & thickened) Commodity Cheese Yoghurt Fresh White Milk (whole & modified) Flavoured Milk (fresh & long-life) Soy Milk Butter

National Foods & Dairy FarmersAs you may be aware National Foods acquired the Dairy Farmers business at the end of 2008. The merging of these two companies has widened the product range available to members as well as further strengthen the National Foods’ distribution network. Below is a quick snap shot of just some the key dairy brands available to all Church Re-sources members:

Current Work in ProgressTo create further value for the Church Resources members, National Foods are currentlyworking on a number of projects designed to deliver efficiency for the day to dayoperations of all locations:

Web Portal Ordering:This online ordering system creates a more ro-bust way for members to purchase theagreed range. Online ordering is quick and simple to use, tracks orders to the point ofdelivery, helps determine potential out of stock issues, and of course creates less paperwork than traditional methods currently in use.

Range AvailabilityWith the category depth and national footprint available to National Foods, there is a bigopportunity to deliver increased efficiencies to all members. Increased ranging acrosscurrent categories help provide a wider choice to all members throughout Australia.

Bespoke ProductsNational Foods have developed a number of products specifically designed with carefacilities in mind. Changes to ingredients and packaging have been used to tailor existingoffers.

Throughout forthcoming e-newsletters, National Foods will run articles promoting these products, highlighting the benefits they bring to both mem-bers and end consumer.

For any further information regarding the National Foods & Church Resources supplypartnership, please contact your representa-tive on the below contact number:

Church Resources: 1300 CHURCH

For Quality Assurance issues with any National Foods products please contact Na-tional Foods on the following contact details:

Phone: 1800 677 852email: consumers@natfoods.com.au

Refillable Bulk Soap Dispensers

Could Be Spreading Germs to your Residents,

Visitors and Staff

Health care associated infections have been designated as a main area of concern by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC).1 Better hand hygiene is the highest priority area to help reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections as well as common illnesses. As a result of increased atten-tion concerning the spread of germs, research has been commissioned worldwide to determine ways to prevent the spread of illness, the level of knowledge of hand hygiene, and the source of germs that can cause illness.

Bulk Soap Systems Frequently

Contain Disease Causing Organisms

Studies show unsuspecting hand washers could be putting their health at risk when using soap from open refillable (commonly known as “bulk”) soap dispensers! This thought may seem rather surprising at first, but recent studies conducted at a major university found that 23-25% of bulk soap dispensers contained contaminated soap.2 Specifically, 23-25% of samples taken from open refillable bulk soap reservoir dispensers were contaminated with unsafe levels of bacteria.Coliforms, illness causing fecal-based organisms, were found in 16-22% of the bulk soap dispens-ers tested. Soap from contaminated bulk soap dispensers can put users at significant risk. In contrast, no contamination was found in soap that was dispensed from systems using sealed and sanitary dispenser refills.• Better hand hygiene is the highest priority area to help reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections

• Bulk soap dispensers often contain harmful bacteria• There are no standards for cleaning and sanitizing dispensers• New soap becomes tainted as it is added to contaminated soap• Sealed and sanitary dispenser soap refills prevent the use of contaminated soap

Following these recent studies, it is recognized that washing hands with contaminated bulk soap results in contamination of the hands. This research also shows that bacteria left on hands after the use of contaminated soap can be trans-ferred to other surfaces (this is also substantiated by other published literature).3,4 Of even greater concern, soap in contaminated dispensers often contain potential disease-causing organisms including Klebsiella pneumoniae (which could cause pneumonia, bronchitis, and other respira-tory infections), and Serratia marcescens (which could cause infections of blood, wounds, eye infections, urinary tract, and the respiratory tract). Study results also showed that participants who washed their hands with the tainted soap had these bacteria present on their hands after hand washing, especially when there was a high level of soap contamination. However, those who washed their hands with uncontaminated soap from sanitary sealed refill systems had none of the contaminating bacteria on their hands after washing.

There is now no question that bulk hand soap dispensers are susceptible to contamination, and can contain unsafe levels of bacteria. Additionally, there is also no established protocol for cleaning and sanitizing these refillable dispensers. Even when someone attempts to clean a bulk soap

“Every time you use that soap you’re getting hundreds of million fecal bacteria on your hands…which is

actually more than is in the toilet (bowl) after you flush it. That’s why I can’t really use it anymore. I look

at it and go…‘I just got a hundred million fecal bacteria on my hands!’ As a microbiologist I don’t like

the idea of putting 100 million fecal bacteria on my hands when I’m washing them…when I’m trying to

remove (the germs).”

- Dr. Charles P. Gerba of the University of Arizona

Note: To learn more, Dr. Charles P. Gerba, University of Arizona Microbiologist, discusses the study

he led on bulk soap contamination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzyNOotK5pg&feature=related

Patients with severe Alzheimer’s disease in long-term care have deficient contrast sensitivity and poor food and liquid intake. A studypublished in 2003 examined how contrast manipulations affect these intake levels.

Participants were nine men with advancedAlzheimer’s disease. Independant variables were meal type (lunch and supper) and condition (baseline, intervention, and post-intervention). Dependant variables were amount of food (grams) and liquid (ounces). Data were collected for 30 days (10 days per condition) for two meals per day. White tableware was used for the baseline and post-intervention conditions, and high-contrast red tableware for the intervention condition. In a follow-up study 1 year later, other contrast conditions were examined (high-contrast

blue, low-contrast red and low-contrast blue).Mean percent increase was 25% for food and 84% for liquid for the high contrast intervention (red) versus baseline (white) condition, with 8 of 9 participants exhibiting increased intake. In the follow-up study, the high-contrast intervention (blue) resulted in significant increases in food and liquid intake; the low-contrast red and low-contrast blue interventions were ineffectual.

It was concluded that simple environmental ma-nipulations, such as contrast enhancement, can significantly increase the food and liquid intake in frail demented patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

To see the full report: http://www.churchresourc-

es.com.au/images/pdfs/Alzheimers_Research_

Paper.pdf

dispenser, it is time-consuming and impractical. Facilities managers cannot trust bulk soap dis-pensers to be free of bacterial contamination. It has been suspected for some time that bacteria stays on hands washed with contaminated soap from bulk dispensers, and the recent study con-firms these fears!

Sanitary Sealed Systems are Protected, Effort-

less and Protected!

Bulk soap contamination is simply an unneces-sary health risk. The need to use factory-sealed containers for hand soap in public toilets, rather than dispensing bulk soap through reusable, fill-able containers, is a healthier choice - and some might say the only choice in order to avoid the bacterial contamination of hands and of surfaces touched by those hands. The soap inside is pro-tected from contamination because it is factory sealed and includes a fresh nozzle with each re-fills, installing a new refill is effortless and virtually labour free (it takes just seconds to snap a refill in), and each dispenser is installed in a secure dispenser that prevents tampering. A sanitary sealed system such as this is simply the logical choice to help prevent the spread of germs.

GOJO Skin Care Products feature Factory

Sealed and Sanitary Systems and Refills!

GOJO, as the industry leader for hygiene and skin care products, has always been focused on the health and well being of the public. When GOJO became aware of the contamination is-sues regarding open refillable soap dispensers, the company immediately went to work exploring the issue and finding a solution. GOJO Industries and Church Resources see contamination of open reservoir bulk soap dispensers as a serious public health threat. To help you maintain a high level of hygiene among your residents, visitors and staff, we offer a complete program to help switch your facility from potentially contaminated bulk soap dispensers to an advanced GOJO Skin Care System using only factory sealed and sanitary refills for all of GOJO hygiene and skin care products.1. http://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/internet/safety/publishing.nsf/Content/PriorityPro-gram-032. Gerba, C.P. et al, The Occurrence of Heterotrophic Bacteria, Coliforms, and Staphylo-coccus Aureus in Liquid Soap Samples From Public Restrooms. Unpublished study 2006. Bacterial Contamination of Liquid Hand Soaps. Unpublished Study. 2007 University of Arizona.3. Sartor, C. et al, Nosocomial Serratia marcescens Infections Associated with Extrinsic Contamination of a Liquid Nonmedicated Soap. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiol-ogy. 2000, 21:196-199.4. Casewell, M., Phillips, I. Hands as route of Transmission for Klebsiella Species. British Medical Journal. 1977, 2:1315-1317.

A study by Tracey E. Dunne, Sandy A. Neargarder,

P.B. Cipolloni and Alice Cronin-Golomb

Not only was this option nutritionally inadequate and potentially unsafe for swallowing, due to inappropriate consistency, it hardly provided the patient an incentive to overcome their reluctance to eat. With swallowing problems, such patients have low enthusiasm for food, and therefore of-ten largely unmet nutritional requirements.

Today’s modern pureed and texture modified foods are not only more appetising and of an ap-propriate consistency, but they are also higher in calories and protein to help the nutritional status of patients at risk of malnutrition.

Australia’s leading provider of health and aged-care food solutions, Prepared Foods Australia (PFA) is working with its clients to improve pa-tient nutrition, minimise the risk of aspiration and improve the quality of life for patients with dys-phagia.

A menu solution that’s not hard to

swallow

An approach from one of their largest customers looking for greater variety for cyclic menus saw PFA developed additional high protein soups, pureed meals and texture modified foods to help solve menu dilemmas when catering for patients with dysphagia.

According to PFA’s National Sales Manager Ken Hartley the key to developing menus for residents with dysphagia is to provide meals that not only have appropriate texture and nutrition, but are appetising as well.

“The increased effort it takes to eat often leaves residents with dysphagia at risk of under nutrition so it’s important to provide food with the appro-priate modified texture. These residents tend to have little appetite yet can have high nutritional requirements. Therefore flavour, colour and plate

presentation are very important,” he said.

“In this way a resident with little enthusiasm for food can be tempted to consume even a small amount of nutritious food and will receive impor-tant protein, energy and calcium intakes. This not only leads to improved nutritional outcomes for the resident, it also means less food wastage.”

“Our puree products are formulated to tempt con-sumption while soups are also a popular menu item and residents served high protein soups are more likely to eat the whole meal.”

Consistency and safety the key

Mr Hartley said textural modification of food, either by being pureed or softened, presented a unique challenge for in-house kitchen staff.

“Not only is it a challenge for kitchen staff to get the consistency right, that is lump free while thick enough to prevent aspiration, but also ensuring colours remain vibrant and that no flavour is lost in the cooking process,” he said.

“PFA is able to offer the same product every single time following strict adherence to recipe and preparation methods with a complete dietary analysis available for every item.

“Then there are the cost and yield issues to con-sider. When making purees in house the costs and yields are unknown, a prepared food solution takes away the guess work both in preparation and in budgeting.

“These products are labour saving in that they offer lower preparation costs and require less kitchen clean up from preparation and service from making purees in house, allowing catering staff to spend more time on managing the food service, food presentation and other tasks.

Gone are the days when a patient who required a puréed meal was sent a meal

from the hospital or aged care centre menu that had simply been liquidised with

water or milk and served in a bowl.

Brought to you by Prepared Foods Australia

“Less wastage from preparation leads to closer management of portion control and as products only require thawing and reheating this means minimal equipment, capital costs, ongoing main-tenance costs and the amount of space neces-sary in the kitchen,” Mr Hartley said.

Product Development & Quality

Control

Due to increased client demand PFA has in-creased its puree offerings to 34 products, re-cently adding 11 new options to accommodate a two week cyclic menu.

Mr Hartley said the new products were devel-oped in close consultation between the client and PFA’s team.

“After our Research and Development technolo-gists developed the samples, we presented them to a panel of nutritionists, speech pathologists, directors of food services operations and chefs to evaluate.

“The consultative process also highlighted the need for a packaging change to accommodate a larger range of users with a convenient one kilogram pouch.

“From concept to development this process was signed off by all parties and produced for pur-chase within a 12 week time frame,” he said.

This new puree range meets the Australian Standards for Texture Modified Foods and Fluids and can be utilised in all sized hospitals and aged care facilities.

PFA monitors quality and consistency in line with industry benchmarks, whilst ensuring cost ef-ficiencies are achieved. Stringent quality control and strict adherence to recipe and preparation methods guarantee Health Cuisine’s quality and consistency, with a complete dietary analysis pro-vided for every product to meet Australian Dietary Standards.

All products are manufactured at the company’s Wacol facility in Brisbane and are placed on hold until microbiological checks have been complet-ed; ensuring customers always receive the best and safest products for consumption.

PFA currently supplies prepared meal systems to around 100 healthcare and aged care facilities

located in Queensland, New South Wales, Victo-ria and ACT, ranging from 30 bed private facilities to 700 bed metropolitan public hospitals, and 80 to 200 bed government and not-for-profit aged care facilities.

PFA’s Health Cuisine range of 130 products encompass the entire health care menu spec-trum including soups, protein dishes, vegetables, desserts, texture modified foods, and individual meals, all packaged ready to heat and serve.

For further information about PFA’s HealthCuisine range please contact Ken Hartley,National Sales Manager on 07 3271 2433 or email khartley@preparedfoods.com.au

Scientific research suggests there is a connection between love and a healthier life – people who have quality relationships and regularly socialise with friends or family are at lower risk of heart disease and are more likely to live longer. So, how can we nourish our relationships and in turn care for our health?

Nourishing yourself:Looking after yourself is an important place to start. Eating well, being physically active and trying to do more of the things you enjoy will help you feel better about yourself, which in turn can improve your relationships with others.

Our tip:Choose one thing you are going to do today to improve your wellbeing. It doesn’t matter how big or small. You could start with a commitment to drink more water, eat one more serve of veggies or go for a walk. Try to keep doing it each day until you are ready to add something else.

Caring for loved ones:Take the time to let your loved ones know just how much they mean to you.

Our tip:Try to tell one person each day how much they mean to you. Whether it’s a quick phone call, a hand written card or even an SMS message, it does take effort but can make an enormous dif-ference to your relationships.

Connecting with your Community:If you would like to increase the number of rela-tionships in your life, try ways of connecting more with your community.

Our tip:Join a sporting or photography club, find out about the courses offered by your community college or get more involved in your local church group. Preparing food and then sharing it with someone in your church or community is an act of caring. Getting to know people this way can help bring more love into your life and their life too.

For inspiration on nourishing yourself and your loved ones with wholesome, healthy food, call us at the Sanitarium Nutrition Service on 1800 673 392. Alternatively you can email us at nutrition@sanitarium.com.au. We could love to hear from you!

Celebrating loving relationships – including those with our spouse, family and our

close friends – is an important way of nourishing those relationships. But how

important are our relationships for our physical health? Is there a connection be-

tween a happy heart and a healthy one?

As our nights are get cooler, mornings later, and the desire to take that habitual morning walk has been blocked out by a warm cocoon of blankets and sheets, in creeps thoughts of calorie dense foods. Winter is the season for snuggling up with a warm cup of hot chocolate and a piping hot slice of Apple Pie, smothered in custard. But do we feel any better for it…?

Luckily, Professor of Pharmacology Margaret Morris, of the University of NSW, School of Medi-cal Sciences has conducted a study revealing the ‘comfort foods’ can in fact reduce stress. Profes-sor Morris explains that eating foods rich in fat and sugar can alter the chemical composition of the brain and reduce anxiety. This is great news, but not permission to go out and eat an entire three tiered chocolate mud cake in one sitting, despite how stressed you may be! Your daily nutritional intake has a very influencing affect over your mood, including your alertness and perception of pain. It is therefore important to understand the power of food, and how you can use this understanding to enhance your mood.

Food has the incredible ability to change your production and release of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers which carry information from one nerve cell to another. When you feel full, stressed, or even in pain, it is your neu-rotransmitters which are responsible. Therefore certain nutrients in your diet can affect the level of neurotransmitters you produce. This can be complicated even further by how most of our daily foods contain more than one nutrient and how these nutrients interact to produce and release neurotransmitters.

Serotonin is a type of neurotransmitter or more easily referred to as the “happy hormone”, which is effected by the nutrients in our diets. Certain foods can boost our levels of serotonin by pro-ducing insulin and therefore improving our mood, some of these foods include banana, papaya and dates. On the other hand, foods which lower the production of serotonin include whole wheat and rye bread. However, before you run for the closest fruit shop, understand that producing this insulin for a long period of time may trigger the onset of insulin resistance, obesity, type 2 diabe-tes and lower your ‘happy hormone’ production.

There isn’t a straightforward list of mood enhanc-ing foods, yet there are some recommended guidelines for boosting your energy, alertness and overall wellbeing. These are;

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While there is no defined solution for complete stress eradication, there are certain foods which can enhance your mood through the production and release of certain neurotransmitters. So this winter when your reaching for that slice of that Sticky Date Cake smothered in butter scotch sauce and cream, be safe in the knowledge that you’ll be reducing your stress levels simply by al-lowing yourself access to ‘yummy comfort food’.

Country Chef Desserts provides quality comfort food through our dessert solutions. Covered

Try and eat as regularly as possible. This means no skipping meals! As we all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Boost your mood by adding berries to your porridge or muesli, or have sour-dough bread with peanut butter.

Lean protein is an important addition to our lunchtime meals, helping to avoid the afternoon slump and an increase in our mental alertness and that happy feeling. This is from the produc-tion of serotonin the neurotransmitters in our brain.

We’ll all be pleased to hear that chocolate is still good for us. More so the quality dark varieties as they are high in antioxidants and phenols which boost our mood and help out brain re-lease endorphins.

Despite the dieters belief of ‘no carbs after 5pm’, an enriching dinner meal of carbohy-drates is advised for a better sleep which itself improves our mood! Through a relevant study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found increased serotonin production simply by eating carbohydrates with little or no protein.

And the final mood enhancer is hydration! Small drops in our level of hydration can create a grumpier you. So keep your hydration levels high through water or caffeine-free drinks.

by our taste guarantee, Country Chef Desserts will ensure your stress in dessert preparation is reduced, as we create the base, for you to create the final masterpiece.

Presented By: Country Chef Desserts Pty LtdWritten By: Jaclyn BeavisContact Details: A: 7 Hi-Tech Drive, Kunda Park QLD 4556 P: +61 07 5476 7633 E: marketing@countrychef.com.au

References:1. Abu-Jayyab A. “Nutritional Pharmacology Of Sleep & Depression”. SelfGrowth.com. http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Nutritional_Phar-macology_of_Sleep_Depression.html. Retrieved 2010-05-04.

2. Food People. “The Food Letter – From the Food People”. Foodpople.com. http://www.the-foodpeople.co.uk/media/pdf/foodletter_apr10.pdf. Retrieved 2010-05-04

3. Grossman, Mary H.; Hart, Cheryle R. (2008). The Feel-Good Diet. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 64.

4. Young SN (2007). “How to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs”. J Psychiatry Neurosci 32 (6): 394–9.

Are you looking for new and interesting ways to garnish soup for winter? Peter Wright, Consult-ing Chef for Fonterra Foodservices, demon-strates how to quickly transform Perfect Italiano Parmesan Shredded Cheese into tasty Parme-san wafers. Watch the demonstration at:

You can also find delicious soup recipes, such as Smoky Pumpkin and Orzo Soup, Mushroom soup

and Pea soup on the Fonterra Foodservices web-site. All recipes have been designed specifically for Foodservice professionals and chefs can eas-ily multiply the base recipe to suit their production needs. And there is a PDF for each recipe that can be downloaded from the website.

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes COOKING TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

750g medium eggplants, trimmed and cut into 1cm-thick slices500g small zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwaysOlive oil cooking spray1 tbsp olive oil1 onion, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, finely chopped500g jar tomato pasta sauce350g low fat ricotta cheese, crumbled1 cup basil leaves, chopped1⁄4 cup pine nuts50g low fat fetta cheese, crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Spray egg-plant and zucchini on both sides with oil. Cook, in batches, for 2-3 minutes on each side, spray-ing with oil during cooking, until golden and just tender. Transfer to plate.

2. Heat oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes until tender. Add tomato sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside.

3. Combine ricotta and basil in a bowl. Arrange half the eggplant and zucchini in a large (8 cup) greased baking dish. Sprinkle with half the ricotta mixture and pine nuts. Spoon over half the tomato sauce. Repeat layering, reserving some pine nuts for the top. Sprinkle with fetta cheese and finish with pine nuts. Cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbling and serve. Serves 6.

PER SERVE: 1115kJ (265cal); Protein 13g; Total Fat 16g; Saturated Fat 5g; Carbohydrate 15g; Total Sugars 13g; Sodium 600mg; Potassium 815mg; Calcium 245mg; Iron 2.1mg; Fibre 7g.

http://www.fonterrafoodservices.com.au/

resources.php?id=27

Serves: 4 Preparation Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 40 mins

Ingredients: 1 loaf Country Life Bakery Low GI Bread35 g Butter (unsalted)50 g White chocolate chips/buttons100g Raspberries (fresh or frozen)4 large Free-range eggs½ cup Milk75 g Sugar1 tsp Vanilla pulp (essence)2 tbsp Apricot jam2 tbsp Water4 tbsp Toasted sliced almonds

Method: Preheat oven to 160 c. Lightly butter a baking dish (20 cm square). Spread butter onto four slices of bread and lay into the baking dish. Sprinkle with raspberries and chocolate. Repeat the last step and finish with a final layer of but-tered bread. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Strain the egg mix gently over the bread. Place in the oven and bake for about 35 - 45 minutes. In a small saucepan combine apricot jam and water, bring to a simmer, stir until smooth. Using a pastry brush apply apricot to top of pudding and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

For a range of recipes using the Country Life Bakery or any breads to boost your offerings in-cluding, finger foods, snacks and desserts as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner contact Goodman Fielder at 1300 BAKING.

AUGUSTSunday, 01 Transfiguration Commemoration of the biblical event when

Christ is changed in appearance on the mountain. Observed by Roman Catholic and Anglican churches on August 6. Observed by Lutherans on the sixth Sunday after Epiphany.

Christian

Thursday, 05 National Day JamaicaFriday, 06 Garma Festival, NT An Indigenous cultural exchange event of

clan groups from north east Arnhem Land, the Garma Festival is a celebration of Indig-enous cultures.

Festival

Monday, 09 National Day SingaporeWednesday, 11 Ramadan Begins and is one of the most important

times in the Islamic calendar. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims engage in fast-ing and prayer and show charity to those in need.

Islamic

Saturday, 14 Independance Day PakistanSunday, 15 Dormition of the

TheotokosThis day commemorates the death and burial of the Virgin Mary

Orthodox Christian

Sunday, 15 National Day IndiaTuesday, 17 Proclamation of

IndepandanceIndonesia

Thursday, 19 Indepandance Day AfghanistanSaturday, 21 Henley-On-Todd

Regatta, Alice Springs NT

Teams of ‘rowers’ race their boats on the dry sandy bed of the Todd River. This unique and long running sporting spectacle attracts many participants, with proceeds going to charity.

Festival

Tuesday, 24 National Day UkraineTuesday, 24 Raksha Bandhan This Hindu festival honours the love between

brothers and sisters and is marked by the tying of a rakhi thread by the sister on the wrist of her brother. Raksha Bandhan means bond of protection.

Hindu

Tuesday, 31 National Day MalaysiaSEPTEMBERWednesday, 01 Battle for Australia

DayThe first Wednesday in September com-memorates those who served Australia during the Second World War, on the front-line and the home front, when our country’s safety and freedom were threatened.

Australia

To help plan activities and rosters for various upcoming cultural and religious

special days, festival and events, Church Resources has compiled a list of spe-

cial days to note between August and November.

Wednesday, 01 National Wattle Day Wattle is Australia’s national floral emblem. With nearly 1000 Australian species, wattles symbolise diversity and resiliance.

Festival

Wednesday, 02 National DayWednesday, 02 Krishna

JanmashtamiThis festival is one of the most important events in the Hindu calendar. It celebrates the birth of Krishna more than 5000 years ago. Krishna was one of the incarnations of Vishnu and is one of the most popular deities in Hinduism. Celebrations take place over two days.

Hindu

Friday, 03 San MarinoMonday, 06 SwazilandTuesday, 07 BrazilWednesday, 08 AndorraWednesday, 08 FYR MacedoniaThursday, 09 Korea, Democratic

People’s Republic of

Thursday, 09 TajikistanThursday, 09 Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year

festival, commemorates the creation of the world. A synagogue ritual is the blowing of the Shofar, a ram’s horn trumpet. Apples are dipped in honey as a symbol of the sweet New Year that lies ahead.

Jewish

Friday, 10 Eid al Fitr (End of Ramadan)

The Islamic month of fasting, Ramadan, ends with the festival of Eid al Fitr. A celebra-tory meal breaks the fast and at this time charity and good deeds have special signifi-cance. Eid is also a time of forgiveness and making amends.

Islamic

Saturday, 11 Ganesh Chaturthi A popular religious festival. In India, clay statues of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh are paraded through the streets.

Hindu

Saturday, 11 Coptic New Year The Feast of Nayrouz (Feast of the Martyrs) marks New Year on the Coptic calendar. The Copts are the indigenous people of Egypt and have been celebrating this date as a New Year for over 1700 years. The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Chris-tian churches in the world.

Coptic Orthodox

Thursday, 16 Independance Day Papua New GuineaFriday, 17 Australian

Citizenship DayAustralia

Friday, 17 Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

This holiest day of the Jewish year is ob-served with fasting and repentance. Many Jews will refrain from work and attend syna-gogue services. It is a day set aside to atone for the sins of the past year.

Jewish

Friday, 17 OzAsia Festival, Adelaide

This annual festival celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity, particularly in relation to the cultures of the Asia Pacific region, and promotes understanding and acceptance. (concludes 2 October)

Festival

Saturday, 18 Oktoberfest A German festival celebrated by commu-nities worldwide. It is celebrated with folk dancing, singing, food and drink.

Festival

Saturday, 18 National Day ChileWednesday, 22 The Mid-Autumn

FestivalA popular East Asian celebration of abun-dance and togetherness, dating back over 3000 years. The traditional food of this festi-val is the mooncake.

Festival

Thursday, 23 Sukkot Commemorates the 40 year period during which the Jewish people were wandering in the desert. Sukkot were the huts in which they lived during this time.

Jewish

Monday, 27 The Queen’s Birthday holiday in Western Australia

Based on the dates of the Term three school holidays and the Royal Show. The other Australian States have the Queen’s Birthday holiday in June.

Australia

OCTOBERFriday, 01 National Day ChinaFriday, 01 Creation According to Bishop James Ussher (1581-

1656), God created the universe on October 23, 4004 BC. That would make the universe 6000 years old in 1997 AD. James Ussher was an Irish Archbishop whose chronology of Biblical history was, at one time, widely accepted throughout Christianity.

Christian

Sunday, 03 Day of German Unity

Germany

Sunday, 03 NationalFoundation Day

Korea, Republic of

Monday, 11 Fiji Day FijiTuesday, 12 National Day SpainSunday, 17 Vijay Dashami

(Dasera)This Hindu festival marks the triumph of good over evil. The festival of Dasera con-cludes the festival of Navaratri, which ex-tends over a number of days.

Hindu

Tuesday, 19 National Day NiueWednesday, 20 Birth of the Báb Baha’i followers celebrate the birth of the

Báb on this day, a prophet and forerunner of their faith. Work is suspended on this day.

Baha’i

Thursday, 28 National Day Czech RepublicFriday, 29 Republic Day TurkeySunday, 31 Halloween Halloween, celebrated primarily in the USA,

has its origins in ancient pagan, Celtic har-vest and Christian festivals. People dress themselves and their homes in the symbols of these festivals such as pumpkins and apples, angels, saints, devils, ghosts and skeletons.

Festival

NOVEMBERMonday, 01 All Saints’ Day This Christian day honours saints, known

and unknown. Saints are men and women recognised for lives of holiness and devotion to God or who were martyred for their faith.

Christian

Tuesday, 02 Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is Australia’s premier horse racing event that ‘stops the nation’.

Festival

Friday, 05 Diwali (Deepavali) Festival of Lights

Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Because of the lights, fireworks and sweets involved, it is a great favourite with children. It is celebrated by people of Jain, Sikh and Hindu faiths.

Hindu

Thursday, 11 Remembrance Day Marks the anniversary of the armistice which ended the First World War (1914–18). Aus-tralia observes one minute silence at 11 am in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.

Australia

Friday, 12 Birth of Baha’u’llah On this day people of Baha’i faith refrain from work and celebrate the birth of their faith’s founder.

Baha’i

Monday, 15 Nativity Fast begins During the Nativity Fast (until Christmas) Or-thodox Christians abstain from all meat and dairy products, fish, eggs, alcohol and oil.

Orthodox Christian

Monday, 15 Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca)

Undertaking a pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the tenets of Islam. During the pilgrimage Muslims from all around the world, of dif-ferent countries, languages and ethnicities, come together in worship.

Islamic

Tuesday, 16 International Day for Tolerance

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization describes toler-ance as a moral virtue - the appreciation of diversity, the ability to live and let others live, the ability to adhere to one’s convictions while accepting that others adhere to theirs, and the ability to enjoy one’s rights and free-doms without infringing on those of others.

United Nations

Tuesday, 16 Eid al Adha The Feast of Sacrifice commemorates the ordeal of Abraham who was asked to sac-rifice his only son to prove his faith to Allah (God). As he was on the point of slaying his son, Allah stopped him and told him that it was a test of his faith and to sacrifice a ram instead.

Islamic

Sunday, 21 Birth of Guru Nanak Sahib

Founder of Sikh Religion – Guru Nanak was the founder of the Sikh faith and way of life. Sikhism stresses the importance of doing good deeds rather than merely carrying out rituals.

Sikh

Monday, 22 Independance Day Lebanon

Thursday, 25 Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day

Celebrated primarily in the USA, was histori-cally a religious observation to give thanks to God for the harvest. It is now primarily a secular celebration and an opportunity to express gratitude to others for our many blessings.

Festival

Thursday, 25 White Ribbon Day This day is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Ev-eryone can show their commitment to ending violence against women by wearing a white ribbon.

Australia

Sunday, 28 First Sunday of Advent

Advent is observed with the lighting of ad-vent candles, display of wreaths and special ceremonies. Advent also anticipates the coming again to earth of Jesus Christ.

Christian

Sunday, 28 Advent Sunday Begins the Advent season and the beginning of the ecclesiastical year

Christian

Tuesday, 30 St Andrew’s Day St Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland Scotland

Note: The 200g Good Eating Beef Pie is not a Healthy Kids registered Product

Cert TM Used under license

Healthier choice in pastry productsApproved by the Heart Foundation Tick ProgramHealthy Kids Registered Amber CategoryFreshly frozen for your convenience

A

The Tastier choice for Schools from Mrs Mac’s!

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