Food and beverage choices are divided into tables based on the Canada's Food Guide Plate from the CFG: vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, protein foods.
Food choices are categorized as “serve” or “do not serve” in these tables.
There is also a table for “minor ingredients”, which are foods that do not fit on the Eat Well Plate.
Understanding “serve” and “do not serve”
Serve
Foods and beverages in this category:
Have lower amounts of added sugar, salt and saturated fat. They are good sources of nutrients such as fibre, calcium and iron.
Are minimally processed
Can be served at all meals and snacks
Align with recommendations in CFG
Are safe to consume
Do not serve
Foods and beverages in this category:
Have higher amounts of added sugar and/or salt. They contain unhealthy fats and/or small amounts of nutrients such as fibre, calcium and iron.
Are highly processed.
Should not be offered in SNPs .
Do not align with recommendations in CFG.
May not be safe to consume (for example, raw fish, sprouts or unpasteurized dairy).
Note: The food and beverage choice tables are not complete lists. If you have a question about an item that is not on the list, contact your lead agency or local public health unit.
How to use the food and beverage choice tables
Most packaged foods and beverages have a food label. This information is needed to know if a food or beverage can be served (or not served) in your SNP. It is important to understand how to use the nutrition facts table and the ingredient list on foods and beverages. Here are some things you will need to know:
Foods such as fresh vegetables and fruits do not have food labels because they have nothing added to them. All fresh vegetables and fruits are found in the serve category of the food and beverage choice tables (except for raw sprouts, for food safety reasons).
Information in the nutrition facts table is based on a quantity called serving size. It is listed at the top of the table. The serving size tells you the amount of food used to calculate the numbers in the nutrition facts table. It may or may not be the amount that you choose to serve in your SNP.
The % DV (daily value) shows how much (or how little) of a nutrient is in a food or beverage. 5% DV or less means there is a little of a nutrient and 15% DV or more means there is a lot of a nutrient in the food or beverage5. % DV is found on the right-hand side of the nutrition facts table.
CFG recommends having less sodium. Bread products, cereals, packaged snacks and processed meats, etc. can have a lot of sodium. Look for foods and beverages with less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) of sodium to serve in your SNP.
CFG recommends choosing foods and beverages with less added sugar footnote 1[1]. Items such as bakery products, sweetened cereals, packaged snacks and flavoured yogurts can have a lot of added sugar.
Look for whole grain products with less than or equal to 8 grams of sugar per 30 gram serving.
Look for flavoured yogurts with less than or equal to 11 grams of sugar per 100 gram serving.
CFG recommends eating whole grain foods. Whole grain foods are a good source of dietary fibre. Examples include whole wheat flour, buckwheat, barley, corn, oats, quinoa, spelt, bulgur, farro, whole wheat couscous, wheat berries, and brown rice.
The ingredient list shows all the ingredients in a packaged food in order of weight. It begins with the ingredient that weighs the most. Look for grain products with whole grain as the first ingredient on the ingredient list.
It can take some practice to learn to read and understand food labels. You may also need to do some manual calculations to see if a food or beverage meets the criteria to ‘serve’ or ‘do not serve’. Visit UnlockFood.ca and Health Canada for more information on reading food labels.
Vegetables and fruits
Serve vegetables and/or fruits at every meal and snack.
Vegetables
Serve
Do not serve
Fresh vegetables
Frozen vegetables with no added salt or sauce
Potatoes, boiled, baked or mashed with no added salt
Canned vegetables with sodium less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) per serving, drained and rinsed to lower the sodium content further
Canned tomatoes and tomato–based pasta/pizza sauces with less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) sodium per serving
Vegetable juice, including 100% juice
Packaged potato products (for example, french fries, hash browns, instant potatoes)
Battered or deep-fried vegetables
Vegetable chips (for example, potato, carrot)
Canned vegetable soup, canned tomatoes and tomato-based pasta/pizza sauces with more than 10% DV (daily value) sodium per serving
Cream-based vegetable soups
Raw sprouts (for example, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, clover, radish and mung beans), due to food safety concerns
Fruits
Serve
Do not serve
Fresh fruits
Frozen fruits with no added sugar
Unsweetened applesauce or fruit purées
Canned fruit in water or 100% juice, drained
Dried fruit with no added sugar
Fruit juice, including 100% juice
Fruit flavoured drinks such as fruit beverages, punches, cocktails
Unpasteurized juice or cider
Fruit leathers
Sweetened applesauce or fruit purées
Canned fruit in syrup
Dried fruit with sugar added
Battered or deep-fried fruits
Jellied desserts that contain fruit
Fruit flavoured candies (for example, gummies, fruit rolls) including those made with juice
Fruit chips (for example, banana, plantain)
Whole grain foods
Whole grain foods
Serve
Do not serve
Whole grain, whole wheat or bran is first on the ingredient list and
Sodium is less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) per serving and
Sugar is less than or equal to 8 grams per 30 gram serving
Whole grain, whole wheat or bran is not first on the ingredient list or
Sodium is more than 10% DV (daily value) per serving or
Unsweetened/unflavoured plant-based beverages with at least 6 grams protein per 250 ml and at least 30% DV for calcium and 30% DV for vitamin D per 250 ml
Note: Unsweetened plant-based beverages that do not meet the criteria for protein, calcium and vitamin D (for example, coconut, rice, almond, potato, oat) may be served to accommodate children with allergies only if unsweetened soy beverage (or equivalent) is not an option.
Unfortified plant-based beverages
Flavoured/sweetened plant-based beverages
Yogurt
Serve
Do not serve
Plain yogurt, soy yogurt and kefir with less than or equal to 2% milk fat
Flavoured/sweetened yogurt, soy yogurt and kefir with less than or equal to 11 grams of sugar per 100 gram serving and less than or equal to 2% milk fat
Yogurts with added sugar/candy/chocolate
Frozen yogurt
Drinkable yogurt
Yogurts made from unpasteurized milk
Cheese
Serve
Do not serve
Hard and soft, non-processed cheese made from pasteurized milk (for example, cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, monterey jack, havarti, gouda, swiss, paneer, feta, ricotta, cottage cheese) with less than or equal to 20% milk fat (when possible)
Cheese strings, cheese curds with less than or equal to 20% milk fat (when possible) and less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving
Processed cheese slices
Cheese made from unpasteurized milk
Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk (for example, brie, camembert, and blue-veined cheese like roquefort and gorgonzola)
Breaded or fried cheese (sticks), cheese curds with more than 10% DV sodium per serving
Eggs
Serve
Do not serve
Eggs purchased from an approved source (or ‘graded’ eggs)
Plain pasteurized liquid whole egg
Pre-boiled hard cooked eggs
Eggs purchased from an unapproved source (or ungraded eggs)
Unpasteurized eggs
Seasoned or flavoured liquid egg product
Raw or lightly cooked eggs and egg dishes that contain undercooked eggs such as mousse, dressings, and sauces made on-site
Nut, seed, and legume butters
Follow your school's anaphylaxis policy.
Serve
Do not serve
Nut, seed and legume butters (including peanut, almond, walnut, sesame, sunflower, pea and soy butters)
Whole nuts and seeds (dry roasted or unroasted, with no added salt, sugar, oil)
Nut, legume or seed butters that have added sugar (for example, chocolate, chocolate hazelnut, honey, berry)
Salted or coated nuts or seeds
Tofu, beans and lentils
Serve
Do not serve
Dried beans, lentils, peas
Hummus or other bean dips with sodium less than or equal to 10% DV per serving
Baked chickpeas with sodium less than or equal to 10% DV per serving
Lentil, chickpea and other plant-based pastas with less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving
Canned beans, lentils, chickpeas with less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving, drained and rinsed to lower sodium content further
Tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein with less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving
Plant-based burgers and meatballs with less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving
Canned baked beans, in tomato sauce, with pork, molasses or maple syrup
Store-bought breaded and fried meat alternatives
Simulated meat strips
Plant-based hotdogs, sausages, bacon
Frozen and prepared tacos/burritos
Tofu dessert
Fish
Serve
Do not serve
Fresh, frozen, or canned fish with less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving, drained and rinsed to lower sodium content further, and low in mercury (for example, cod, sole, haddock, salmon, tilapia, trout, canned light tuna, whitefish)
Store-bought breaded or battered fried fish
Fresh, frozen or canned fish high in mercury (for example, canned albacore tuna)
Cold smoked fish
Meat
Serve
Do not serve
Fresh, frozen, ground or pre-cooked with less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving:
Lean cuts of beef, pork loin, traditional meats and wild game
Patties or meatballs
Skinless chicken and turkey
Canned chicken/turkey, drained and rinsed to lower sodium content
Pre-cooked chicken/turkey
Prepared/cured meats (for example, wieners/hotdogs, sausages, pepperoni sticks)
Deli meats (for example, bologna, salami, summer sausage, deli roast beef/turkey/chicken)
Store-bought breaded and fried meats
Ham
Ribs
Side bacon, back bacon, turkey/chicken bacon, imitation bacon bits
Meat pies
Miscellaneous items not to be served
These foods and beverages contain few or no essential nutrients, and/or contain high amounts of added salt, sugar or unhealthy fats.
Do not serve:
food and beverages containing caffeine such as coffee, tea and iced tea
diet and regular pop
energy drinks or sports drinks
flavoured or vitamin water
‘protein’ or meal replacement drinks and bars (except when indicated by a parent/caregiver for medical reasons)
candy (including yogurt covered, gummy-type, licorice, fruit flavoured)
chocolate, chocolate bars (including energy and protein-type bars)
marshmallows
jellied type desserts
frozen treats such as ice cream, freezie-type, popsicles, slushies or frozen juice snacks
hard margarines
lard or shortening
palm oil
foods with artificial trans fat
foods with sugar substitutes or sweeteners
pudding
Minor ingredients
The following items can be used in small amounts (as indicated below) and served on the side, when necessary, or used in the preparation of mixed dishes.
condiments for example, ketchup, relish, mustard, cream cheese (approximately 1-2 tsp/student), for example, salsa (approximately 3 tbsp/student)
gravies, sauces (approximately 1-2 tbsp/student)
dips for example, salad dressings, sour cream (approximately 1-2 tbsp/student), for example, baba ganoush, spinach dip (approximately 3 tbsp/student)
oils, non-hydrogenated margarines, dressings, mayonnaise for example,canola, olive, safflower, soybean, sunflower, non-hydrogenated margarine, traditional fats that are liquid at room temperature, butter (approximately 1-2 tsp/student)
toppings and extras for example, coconut, parmesan cheese (approximately 2-3 tsp/student), for example, olives (approximately 4-5/student), pickles (approximately 1 medium/student)
honey, jam, jelly, marmalade, fruit butter, or syrup (approximately 1-2 tsp/student)
