International Federation for Home Economics Press Release 21st March 2016 World Home Economics Day “Home Economics Literacy: Skills for Families and Consumers” Since 1982 the International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE) has celebrated World Home Economics Day (WHED). The purpose is to promote the significance of Home Economics and the Home Economics profession. The theme for the WHED 2016 is: “Home Economics Literacy: Skills for Families and Consumers”. The aim of the WHED 2016 is to communicate the major role Home Economics literacy has in contributing to family and consumer wellbeing and quality of life. “Literacy is a fundamental human right and the foundation for lifelong learning. It is fully essential to social and human development in its ability to transform lives. For individuals, families, and societies alike, it is an instrument of empowerment to improve one’s health, one’s income, and one’s relationship with the world” (UNESCO, 2016). The concept of Home Economics literacy is the multidisciplinary expression of several literacies such as food literacy, health literacy, financial literacy, consumer literacy and environmental literacy. Home Economics literacy connects elements such as knowledge, skills, culture, systems, and behaviours to enhance quality of life. The IFHE promotes the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the UN 10YFP on Sustainable Lifestyles and Education Sustainability is a consistent thread that is applied in Home Economics education.
The IFHE calls for:
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Thank you to recipe contributor and OHEA Executive member Erin MacGregor, RD, P.H.Ec., for sharing this Roasted Sweet Potato & Lentil Salad recipe from our latest cookbook collaboration Homegrown!
The book has been released just in time for the holidays (subtle hint: buy it for gifts!) and I got my 3 pre-ordered copies this week. You can find it in stores now. PS It’s currently Amazon’s #1 Hot New Release. Fancy! Because I tested and re-tested my own recipes while this book was in the works, I’ve been looking forward to trying some of my colleague’s recipes. This one comes from Rosemarie Superville, PHEc and food stylist. It is SO insanely good. And healthy and colourful. Ooh, and quick and easy. It’s all the things a great recipe should be. And lookie whose recipe is on the opposite page! You’ll notice there are some pretty obvious non-Canadian spices in the recipe. Using a variety of spices and condiments was the one rule we bent, because as Mairlyn says “we’re not writing a pioneer book!”. If you want your own copy of Homegrown (and trust me, you do) you can buy it through Amazon or Indigo-Chapters online or at a brick and mortar bookstore near you.
Erin
Update your knowledge of wholesome food produced in Canada and enjoy the time-saving convenience of seasonal menus ready-planned for you!
Explore Canada by travelling the pages of Homegrown. Discover foods that are unique to each geographic region. Look for family and regional favourites in this showcase of Canadian cuisine. In stores, Dec. 1, 2015, Homegrown is an ideal gift for beginners, seasoned cooks or collectors. Also available online at Chapters and Amazon. Updated in July 2015 by the Manitoba Association of Home Economists
Power outages can occur at any time during the year, so it is important to know what to do in terms of food safety when the power goes out. What is the proper temperature at which foods must be held to remain safe to eat? How long will frozen foods stay frozen? How do you make sure that foods are cooked properly and to the right temperature when using alternate cooking methods? These are all things to consider. It is recommended that refrigerators and freezers be kept closed at all times during a power outage. If they do need to be opened, this should be kept to a minimum. Food in a freezer that is full should be safe for 2 days, 1 day if it is half full. Food in refrigerators will be kept cold for a short period of time. There should be a thermometer in the fridge and freezer at all times to monitor the temperature. Refrigerator temperature should be 4°C (40°F) or less and freezer temperature should be -18°C (0°F) or less. Thawed foods that still contain ice crystals can be refrozen. However, do not refreeze frozen dinners, ice cream, fish and shellfish. Because there is an increased risk of food becoming contaminated or spoiled, one must take extra care in food preparation. Choose foods that can be prepared quickly and require less heat. For example, slice meat thinly so it will cook more quickly and completely. Stir frequently to distribute the heat evenly. Raw chicken should be cooked to 80°C (180°F), beef and pork to 70°C (160°F) and eggs should be cooked until yolk and white are firm. Canned foods are a good option, as they do not require heating. Alternative cooking methods include the fireplace, candle warmers, and fondue pots. Fuel-burning camp stoves, gas or coal barbecues or charcoal burners can also be used, but should never be used in the house. Fumes from these stoves can be deadly. Discard any perishable food if kept over two hours at above 4°C (40°F). This would include the following:
WRITTEN BY THE PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITIONISTS OF SASKATCHEWAN Originator: Cathy Knox References: The Sanitation Code for Canada’s Foodservice Industry by Canadian Restaurant and Food Services Association. “Food Safety During a Power Failure,” Journal unknown, Volume 1, Issue 5. Reviewed by the Public Health Inspectors, Swift Current Health District. On June 13, 2015, Health Canada’s (HC’s) Proposed Regulations governing changes to Nutrition and Food Labelling were published in Canada Gazette I. The Ontario Home Economics Association (OHEA) chose to respond by forming a committee of eight Professional Home Economists with diverse backgrounds, areas and levels of expertise. All members brought exceptional professional insight to the table through individual review, research into published studies, pooling of pertinent information and group discussion. This culminated in a carefully constructed response to HC. The following recommendations were made on behalf of OHEA: Proposed Revisions to Reference Amounts in the Food and Drug Regulations, and Mandatory Application of said Reference Amounts as Standardized Serving Sizes in the Nutrition Facts Table OHEA accepted the standardization of amount of food declared in the Nutrition Facts table (NFt) but rejected the use of consumption data to determine the Reference Amounts (RA) of food, which, as proposed in this regulatory amendment, would mandate serving size. The primary reason for the opposition was the documented association between portion distortion and either overweightness or obesity. Accordingly, the following recommendations were made:
Proposed Revisions to Core Nutrients in the Nutrition Facts Table, to % Daily Values declared in the Nutrition Facts Table, and, to formatting the Nutrition Facts Table OHEA accepted declaration of the serving size in both household and metric measure; mandatory inclusion of potassium; removal of mandatory inclusion of vitamin A and C; withdrawal of mandatory % DV for vitamin D as proposed in the 2014 consultation; addition of % Daily Value (DV) for total sugars; removal of “Amount/Tenure”; inclusion of a 5% DV/15% DV footer explanation; larger font for calories; a truncated bold line under calories; and further formatting using bold lines. Rejections of the quantification of micronutrients other than sodium and the removal of % DV for carbohydrate and dietary fibre were voiced, with the following recommendations:
Proposed Revisions to the Recommended Daily Intakes of Core Nutrition Facts Table Nutrients and Proposed Revisions to the Nutrition Facts Table Formatting OHEA accepted alignment of the % DV’s with the U.S. Institute of Medicine recommendations, and a separate NFt for each of children under 12 months, and children aged one to four years. Also accepted was the proposed % DV of total sugars in the NFt. The committee recommended retention of the current Recommended Daily Intake and % DV for fat at 65 g, noting Statistics Canada’s finding that the rising rates of obesity are in part contributed to fat intake raising average caloric intake. Proposed Regulations to Standardize the Formatting of the List of Ingredients OHEA accepted the proposals of standardized formatting; contrast of font and background in the List of Ingredients (LOI); mandatory listing of food colours by name; mandatory listing of food allergens in the Contains statement; and grouping of sugar-based ingredients together in the LOI. Recommendations to improve the LOI included:
Proposed Health Claim OHEA supported the health claim, “A healthy diet rich in a variety of vegetables and fruit may help reduce the risk of heart disease.”, accepting the scientific evidence cited by HC. OHEA, as professionals who assist families and individuals to achieve and maintain a desirable quality of life believe that “Knowing the nutritional status of a country provides direction on the priorities and programs that will update the overall health of a nation.” (Starkey, Johnson-Down, Gray-Donald, 2001), thus OHEA encourages Health Canada to seize this opportunity to improve the health of all Canadians. Home & Family has posted a new item, 'MAHE Board Member Interview: Meghan Rafferty'
We've got a special feature for you today on the Home & Family Blog. Starting this month we will be taking some time to introduce and chat with some of the Manitoba Association of Home Economists (MAHE) board members about their roles within MAHE and beyond! This series is geared towards individuals who are currently working through the IPHE program, new PHEc’s, or those who might be considering becoming a Professional Home Economist. Once a month we will be interviewing one of our extremely talented board members so that you have an opportunity to get to know them and the organization a bit better. This month we are featuring Meghan Rafferty, Director of Public Relations. You may view the latest post at http://www.homefamily.net/mahe-board-member-interview-meghan-rafferty/ On March, 28th, at the Allstream Centre on the grounds of Exhibition Place in Toronto, OHEA was honoured to welcome The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, as the first speaker of the day. Her Honour, who spoke of her home economics roots, was a true inspiration and reminded all delegates that Home Economists 'can be masters of change'. We are proud to share Her Honour's inspiring, thought-provoking words here... Paths of Possibility The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Toronto, March 28, 2015 Thank you so much for this invitation to be with you today. It is definitely a return to my roots – to the family of home economists.
It affords me an opportunity to say a very warm thank you to those who were among the very first to reach out with congratulations on my appointment as Lieutenant Governor just a few months ago. That recognition was very special to me. It has been a remarkable journey so far. I am also grateful because your request provided the motivation to reflect on my own challenges and opportunities as a home economist. Looking back over an exceptionally eclectic career I realize how very fortunate I have been to follow paths of possibility on which I continue to learn and grow. It’s been all about serendipity, seizing moments of opportunity and of course, inevitable transitions. Social scientists now speak of “life course frameworks”. I’m afraid I would be a very poor role model for that concept if it meant having a clearly defined path for my life. My career continues to be a work in progress. Each chapter, from teaching to public service at the provincial, federal and international levels and ultimately to the private sector has expanded my horizons and taught me valuable lessons. We live in a world where ideas cross borders as if they did not exist, where cyberspace is beyond national control and where the speed and magnitude of capital flows is incredible. The horror of the sheer brutality of how human beings are treating one another in various parts of the world is affecting all of us and has surely illuminated the extent of our interconnectedness and the fragility of a world of inequity. Two-thirds of humankind fall far short of having a decent quality of life. A billion people living in dire poverty alongside a billion living in splendour, in a world made smaller by cell phones and the internet is surely a recipe for social confrontation. The jury is still out on how to avoid a collision between growing ecological pressures, economic expansion and challenges to social cohesion. We are on the verge of a powerful new wave of health-related life sciences. With its capacity to re-create nature and even change what it means to be human, science and technology are forcing us to confront moral dilemmas and profound choices that will require deeper global dialogue and greater systemic thinking than we have ever achieved. But the real point of my few remarks this morning is to encourage you. Home economists can make a difference in this brave new world. We have always been able to bridge the natural and social sciences. We practice integration. Our focus has always been on ensuring a quality of life for individuals and families through understanding and modifying the ‘near environment’. And we certainly have been agile and capable of responding to change. We’ve learned to live with ambiguity. (No one seems to have written a job description tailor-made for a home economist.) I am a home economist and I believe that we are uniquely qualified to influence the course of events. Most of my working life I’ve been asked questions like – “What’s a home economist doing in charge of Canada’s weather service?” My answer is really “Why not?” This world needs thinking, caring, ethical human beings who have a responsibility for those with whom they live and the environment in which they live. We must not be mere observers of the changes taking place around us. In the 1980s Canadian home economists were asking questions about our professional identity, undertaking a navel-gazing process of defining precisely what is it that we do, worrying about the seeming indifference to the profession among recent graduates and being concerned that our work did not seem to merit prestige. But I believe in the potential of home economists. That we can be masters of change – the right people in the right place at the right time. There is no simple set of instructions on how to proceed in turbulent times. Transcending limits is now a core competency and I dare to suggest that most of you have felt outside your comfort zone – and that’s not about to change. The walls we have to scale are most often the walls within our minds. To achieve a world that works for everyone will require uncommon dedication, creativity and energy. I have no doubt that home economists, with a commitment to social justice, generosity of spirit and tolerance can make a difference. I wish you well in your individual and collective journeys and I thank you in advance for the contributions that I know you will make. Thank you to our friends at Care2 for their support of the OHEA petition urging the Government of Ontario to make at least one food and nutrition course compulsory! Petition Urges Ontario to Make Food & Nutrition Compulsory ***http://www.care2.com/go/z/ontfoodcrs*** A Care2 petition from the Ontario Home Economics Association has gathered more than 1,000 signatures OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- The Ontario Home Economics Association (OHEA) is calling on the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care to make at least one food and nutrition course a requirement for students to complete their Ontario Secondary School Diploma. The Care2 petition has 1,061 signatures. VIEW THE PETITION HERE: http://www.care2.com/go/z/ontfoodcrs The OHEA wants to ensure all students receive food education to help them make informed decisions about what they eat. One in three Canadian children and youth are overweight or obese -- a threefold increase in the past 30 years, according to recently published research in the journal BMC Pediatrics. Hospitals that treat severe childhood obesity, like the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, report long waiting lists for children hoping to enter their programs. Doctors who specialize in treating childhood obesity have found an alarming number of preschoolers are overweight or obese -- some have difficulty moving and develop sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea. As the OHEA says, “Ontario grads can be part of the solution to reduce the strain on healthcare by reducing risks of obesity, Type II diabetes and high blood pressure. They could save more of their hard-earned income by spending less on food and benefit from family time around the dinner table!” Educating all students about food and nutrition choices is essential to help them lead healthy lifestyles, OHEA says. Today, few children learn to cook and prepare meals at home,. At the same time, they are bombarded with advertising urging them to eat fast food and highly processed foods. OHEA hopes a nutrition course will help students understand food labels, stick to a food budget, and reduce food waste -- these are life-time skills. In 2013, the Ontario Ministry of Education released 20 new and revised Family Studies courses, several of which are related to food and nutrition. The OHEA’s Care2 petition calls for these courses to be prioritized and to make healthy eating and food literacy a focus for all students. With more than 25 million engaged members, Care2 (www.Care2.com) is the largest online community of activists, now in its 15th year of making a difference for the environment, human and animal rights, and other causes. Care2.com, Inc. is a B Corporation, or social enterprise, using the power of business as a force for good.
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