Nutritional analysis of the Canterbury Food Bank emergency parcel

The nutritional adequacy of Canterbury Food Bank (CFB)’s emergency food parcels for children and adults was evaluated to assess their alignment with UK Government dietary recommendations and ensure their ability to support recipients’ long-term health. The protein, fibre, calories, minerals and vitamins in the parcels often exceeded the UK Government nutrient recommendation for children (2-3 years) and adults (19-64 years), making it sufficient to last beyond the intended three-day period. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats and mostly Vitamin D were found to be very low in the parcel foods. Possibilities for improvement of the nutritional quality of the parcels, as well as better usage of the child parcel, should follow these recommendations: (i) reduce the sugar and salt content of the parcels; (ii) increase the Vitamin D content of the parcels; (iii) consider extending the child's parcel to 5-6 days; (iv) it is not essential to substitute fruit juice with fruit squash, as this does not significantly affect the sugar content of the parcels; (v) replace mashed potatoes with vegetables savoury rice rather than tinned potatoes; (vi) perform further nutritional analyses considering the scenarios recommended in this report, together with data on available and projected foods at CFB, in order to provide a clearer picture and more precise advice.