1 of your 5 ADAY part 2

Here is the email I received from the consumer care department of Heinz, in response to my request for them to explain their claim of baked beans being part of 1 of your 5 a day.  Part 3 to follow is my first email reply to this communication.

Dear Mr Burton

Thank you for your recent enquiry about the Heinz 5-A-Day programme and the logo that appears on some of our products, including Heinz Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce.  The amount of tomatoes and vegetables used in some of our recipes can count towards the recommended daily five portions of fruit & vegetables in a diet.  Over 50 of our canned products contribute at least one or two portions of fruit & vegetables.

With the support of the British Dietetic Association, Heinz is raising awareness of how important it is to eat a varied and healthy diet, which includes at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
This communication is based around simple key facts:

-       that 5 portions can be obtained by eating not only fresh fruit and vegetables but canned, frozen, juiced and dried.

-       a varied diet is important to ensure that a beneficial nutrient and mineral balance is maintained by eating from all the following food groups:

·       fruit and vegetables, at least 5 portions (80g each) either fresh, canned, frozen, juiced or dried which should make up about a third of the food consumed daily.

·       bread and cereals, rich in starch and fibre.  Eat a variety from the following: bread, cereals, oats, pasta, noodles, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.

Choose wholegrain, wholemeal, brown or ‘high fibre’ varieties wherever possible.  Beans, such as canned baked beans and pulses, are a good low-fat source of protein & fibre.

·       milk and dairy foods.  Most people should consume some milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais and other dairy foods in moderate amounts – lower fat versions may be substituted.

·       meat and fish.  Eat only moderate amounts of meat and fish.  Meat such as bacon and salami, sausages, beefburgers and pâté are all relatively high in fat, so these should be kept to a minimum. Aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, which can be fresh, frozen or canned.  One of these portions should be an oily fish such as sardines, salmon, pilchard, mackerel, herring, trout or fresh tuna.  Canned tuna is a good source of protein and some vitamins.

·       fat and sugars.  Inevitably most people will eat some foods containing fat & sugars every day.  However, these should be kept to a minimum, where possible choose low fat and low sugar alternatives.

The following websites will be able to provide further independent information for consumers about diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

www.bda.uk.com
www.foodstandards.gov.uk

At Heinz, we are committed to providing good quality, nutritious and tasty foods, constantly reviewing and developing recipes to meet changing consumers’ needs and tastes.

We hope that this has been of interest to you.  Please do not hesitate to contact Heinz again for further information regarding our company and products.

We do hope the above information is helpful.

Yours sincerely,

Michele Stokes
Consumer Care Co-ordinator