| Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) | The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is a federal agency that operates under the Government of Canada. The CFIA priority is to develop and deliver programs and services designed to protect Canadians from preventable food safety hazards. The CFIA enforces the food safety and nutritional quality standards established by Health Canada including regulations set out in the Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising. |
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| Dimethylpolysiloxane (PDMS) | Dimethylpolysiloxane is an anti-foaming agent commonly added to fry oils to prevent the formation of foam. The presence of foam during frying causes the oil to go rancid more quickly because the foam brings more oxygen into contact with the oil. Therefore, an anti-foaming agent helps an oil last longer. |
| Food | According to the Food Premises Regulation, “food” means any raw or processed substance intended for human consumption. |
| Food Service Establishment |
According to the BC Food Premises Regulation, a “food service establishment” means food premises in which food is
but does not include food premises in which
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| Fully Hydrogenated | A “fully hydrogenated” fat is formed during hydrogenation when a liquid oil is fully saturated with hydrogen — turning the oil into a solid fat. Fully hydrogenated oils/fats contain saturated fat, but almost no trans fat, making them less harmful to heart health than partially hydrogenated oils/fats. |
| High-Stability Oils | High-stability oils are highly stable products that are suitable for extended deep-fat frying. |
| Hydrogenation | Hydrogenation is a chemical process in which hydrogen is added to a liquid oil to make it more solid. Hydrogenation increases the amount of saturated fat in the original oil. |
| Industrially Produced Trans Fat | Trans fat is a type of dietary fat. There are two sources of trans fat in the diet: industrially produced and naturally occurring. Most of the trans fat in our diet is industrially produced, which is more harmful to heart health that any other nutrient in our diet. (TRANSforming the Food Supply 2006) |
| Ingredient List | The ingredient list is mandatory on food packages in Canada and lists all ingredients for a food in descending order by weight. The list is a useful source of information for verifying the presence of certain ingredients (e.g. hydrogenated oil, margarine, shortening) in a food product. |
| Low / Mid-Stability Oils | Low to mid-stability oils are less stable than high-stability oils and suitable for pan frying and using in salad dressings and marinades. |
| Margarine | Margarine is an emulsion of about 80% oil/fat and 20% water, and often includes salt and milk ingredients. There are both soft, spreadable margarines and hard, block margarines. Margarines that are partially hydrogenated contain trans fat. Non-hydrogenated margarines are trans fat free. |
| Naturally Occurring Trans Fat | Naturally occurring trans fat refers to the type of trans fat created in the stomach of ruminant animals (i.e. cattle, sheep, goat, bison, deer). It is found in small amounts in the meat and dairy products of ruminant animals including beef, cream, butter, and milk. Evidence to date has found no harmful effect on heart health. (TRANSforming the Food Supply 2006) |
| Non-Hydrogenated | The term “non-hydrogenated” is found on many pre-packaged foods. In Canada, “non-hydrogenated” can only appear on a food package if the food meets the nutrition labelling criteria for “trans fat free”. |
| Nutrition Facts table | The Nutrition Facts table is mandatory for most pre-packaged food products in Canada. The table helps consumers determine the nutritional value of food by listing calories and 13 core nutrients, including total fat, saturated fat, and trans fat. |
| Partially Hydrogenated | Partially hydrogenated oils/fats are created when liquid oils are partially saturated with hydrogen during the hydrogenation process. This process turns liquid oil into a semi-solid or solid fat. Partially hydrogenated oils/fats contain saturated fat and trans fat, making them the most harmful type of fat for heart health. |
| Pre-Packaged Food | A pre-packaged product is any food that is contained in a package in the manner in which it is originally sold to, used or purchased by a person (CFIA, [B.01.001]). Health Canada requires that most pre-packaged products require nutrition labelling through the Food and Drugs Act. |
| Product Specification Sheet | The product specification sheet contains information about the ingredients and nutrient profile of a food product and is provided by the supplier/ distributor. The CFIA requires manufacturers to provide specification sheets on any new products a food service establishment orders and carries/uses. Product specification sheets are used when food products do not have a nutrition label on the package. |
| Ready-Made Food | A ready-made food is a product that is ready to serve to consumers with minimal alterations. Unlike a pre-packaged food, a ready-made food is removed from its original package, and may be mixed, heated, or portioned before being served to consumers. |
| Ruminant Animals | A ruminant animal is an animal that digests food in two steps, first by eating the raw material and regurgitating a semi-digested form know as cud, then eating (chewing) the cud, a process called ruminating. Ruminants include: cattle, sheep, goats, camels, alpacas, llamas, giraffes, bison, buffalo, yaks, deer, wildebeast, antelope and water buffalo. (Ministry of Agriculture and Lands) |
| Saturated Fat | Saturated fat is a type of dietary fat and is typically solid at room temperature. Saturated fat occurs naturally in many food products including meat products, dairy products and tropical oil (e.g. palm, coconut). The process of hydrogenation also creates saturated fat. Saturated fat is harmful to heart health because it raises levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol. |
| Shortening | As a general term, “shortening” often refers to any fat or oil product used in baking. Unlike margarine, shortening is 100% fat and does not contain any water. In Canada, the word “shortening” on an ingredient list must be modified by “vegetable oil” or “marine oil” or by the common name of the vegetable, animal, or marine oil or fat used. Shortenings that contain partially hydrogenated oil or fat contain industrially produced trans fat. |
| Tertiary Butyl Hydroquinone (TBHQ) | Tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) is an antioxidant commonly added to fry oils to slow spoilage and make them better suited for extended fry use. |
| Trans Fat | Trans fat is a type of dietary fat. There are two sources of trans fat in the diet: industrially produced and naturally occurring. Most of the trans fat in our diet is industrially produced and is created during partial hydrogenation when liquid oil is changed into a solid fat. |
| Trans Fat Free | “Trans Fat Free” is a regulated nutrient content claim for use on pre-packaged food and is separate from the Trans Fat regulation. For a food to be labelled as “trans fat free” it must meet all of the following conditions:
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| Tropical Oil | The term “tropical oil” refers to coconut, palm, and palm kernel oil. These oils are naturally free of trans fat; however, they are high in saturated fat. |
| Unsaturated Fat | Unsaturated fat is a type of dietary fat and is usually liquid at room temperature. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated are the two types of unsaturated fats. They are found in nuts, seeds, fish, and liquid oils from plants (e.g. canola, soybean, corn, olive, sunflower). |