December 12th, 2007

To: Brenda Patterson (General Manager, Children’s Services); Elisabeth Moffat (Director, Municipal Childcare Services); Dr David McKeown (Medical Officer of Health, Public Health); Children’s Services Advisory Committee (Councillor Adam Vaughan, Councillor Janet Davis and Councillor Maria Augimeri); Mayor David Miller, Councillor Shelley Carroll (Budget Chief) and all other Councillors

My name is Melanie Chanzy and I am writing to voice my displeasure regarding the quality of the food served in the city’s daycares. Our infant started daycare a few weeks ago, and I was shocked to discover on her first day that the menu included white buns, slices of salami and slices of processed turkey that resembled rubber more than meat. Since then I’ve had other concerns with items on the menu, especially processed foods which are packed with preservatives, excess sodium and sugar and simply warmed up.

We pay the highest daycare fees in the city, yet other less expensive daycares manage their finances in a more efficient way which allows for much higher quality food. The YMCA & Woodgreen daycares provide freshly prepared, culturally diverse and often local and organic meals. We, along with many other concerned parents, would like to see our money’s worth and the food quality at the city daycares be brought in line with that at YMCAs. A larger percentage of our daycare fees needs to be allocated to the food.

We only get one chance to teach these children about proper nutrition and healthy eating. If their tastebuds are accustomed at such a young age to processed, salty and sugary foods, it’s what they will continue to seek out later in life. Please do your part to help decrease the levels of childhood obesity and diabetes. I think we can all agree that this is one area where the cheapest answer is not the right answer. Here are some improvements we believe need to be made:

1. Dairy & eggs: We would like to see the current dairy products and eggs replaced with organic if possible, otherwise at least from naturally raised animals. These contain more nutrients and less chemical residues compared to dairy and eggs from animals raised in factories which are pumped with antibiotics, artificial hormones, genetically modified feeds and pesticides.
2. Meats: There should be no processed meats at all, they are filled with fat and sodium. Again, meat from naturally raised animals would have the same benefits as above, along with environmental benefits.
3. Fish: Canned tuna should not be served at all; it is highly contaminated with mercury and other pollutants and has been shown to damage children’s sensitive nervous systems. These pollutants also increase the chances of developing numerous neurological conditions. In addition, the fish filets served should be of the highest quality standard, not imported from China. Some better choices would be wild or fresh water fish from Canada or the U.S., such as wild pacific salmon, wild arctic char, wild atlantic sole or haddock.
4. Produce: We would like to see even more local produce served, and when possible, organic. Currently, there is too much canned fruit in syrup being served. The children need to understand the real taste of fresh fruits and vegetables and should also be consuming these at the peak of nutrition. More local produce will help the kids feel more connected to their food, the farmers who grow it, and the seasons and cycles. Of course, it will also support our local farms.
5. Other: There seem to be too many highly processed soy products, especially on the milk free and vegetarian menus, such as “soy chicken”, “veggie meatballs”, “veggie sausage” and “veggie ground meat”. These are unnatural and high in sodium. These should be replaced with more natural vegetarian options such as more natural soy products like organic tofu, and legumes. Also, we would like to see the crackers, such as wheat thins and triscuits, removed from the menu since they’re very high in sodium.

We thank you in advance for taking these concerns seriously. Please do the right thing, improve the minimum quality standard for the new food contract, and increase the percentage of daycare fees allocated to the food. Again, the YMCA’s model should be looked at as an ideal example.

Regards,

Melanie & Thomas Chanzy

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