NUTRITION FACTS

Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. Your body naturally produces cholesterol to build cell membranes, some hormones, and many other important bodily functions.

Learn more about cholesterol at the Canadian Health Network.

Cholesterol can enter your body in two ways. Your body makes some of it on its own and the rest comes from cholesterol found in the foods you eat. Foods that contain cholesterol typically are meats, poultry, fish, eggs, butter, cheese and whole milk. Foods like fruits, vegetables, cereals, plain rice and many of Uncle Ben's^® flavoured rice products are free of cholesterol.

Visit our products area and review the nutritional facts labels to find cholesterol-free Uncle Ben's^® products.

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We’ve all heard the new reports, trans fats are a “bad” fat. But is there such a thing as a good fat? Absolutely! In fact, these good fats are an important part of a balanced diet. Canada’s Food Guide recommends that you consume 30-45 mL (2-3 Tbsp.) of unsaturated fat per day. Unsaturated fats from vegetable oils such as olive, canola and soybean are recommended. The Guide also recommends that you limit consumption of butter, hard margarine and lard. This is because they contain higher amounts of saturated fat. Here are some other examples of where different fats can be found.

Visit our products area and review the nutritional facts labels to find Uncle Ben's^® products with 0 grams of trans fat.

Learn how Health Canada is making food healthier for you.

Source: Health Canada; It’s Your Health; Trans Fat section

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In order to make informed food choices, there are a few key pieces of information that consumers should be familiar with.

• Ingredient Statement
• Allergen Statements
• Nutrition Facts
• Nutrient Content Claims

The ingredient statement tells you what ingredients are in the product. Ingredients must be listed in descending order, based on % weight of the product recipe. If you are allergic to certain foods, you should always check to see if those allergens appear in the ingredient statement. Mars Canada will always declare the presence of any of the priority allergens in Canada: peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pinenuts, pistachios, walnuts), sesame seeds, milk, eggs, seafood (including fish, crustaceans (e.g. crab, crayfish, lobster, shrimp) and shellfish (e.g. clams, mussels, oysters, scallops), soy, wheat and sulphites (< 10 ppm), regardless of the source (e.g., flavors, spices, colors, other minor ingredients). To find out more about allergen labelling policy of Mars Canada Inc. click here."

Occasionally, we may find that despite our best cleaning efforts, we can still document that there is risk of allergen cross contact between products or ingredients. If this is the case, we use the statement “Allergy Information: May Contain <allergen>”, and place it near the end of the ingredient statement.

Step 1: Check the serving size and compare it to your portion size.
A serving size is based on the amount of food a person would reasonably eat in one sitting and is usually described in a common household measure such as “pieces", "cups” or “slices”. If you eat more than the amount of food listed in the serving size then you will be getting more calories and nutrients than are listed in the nutrition facts table.

Step 2: Find out if the food contains a lot or a little of a particular nutrient, relative to what you need in a day.
% Daily values are based on recommendations for a balanced diet. The %DV will tell you how much of your daily requirements per nutrient, you will be consuming from one serving of the food.

Step 3: How much of each of the key nutrients will I find in the food?
Calories and actual amounts of the 13 core nutrients per serving size are listed within the table. The following core nutrients are of specific interest to consumers and health professionals with respect to their impact on health: total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fibre, sugars, protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium and Iron. The nutrition facts table may include other nutrients, if a %DV can be calculated for that nutrient. If not, the nutrient may be listed outside of the nutrition facts table.

Health Canada has allowed for certain claims to be made on food products if they comply with very specific criteria. For example, low fat, low sodium. It is not mandatory to print nutrient content claims on foods, even if they meet the criteria, but such claims can be a quick indication of whether a food is suitable for specific dietary needs.

Mars Canada Inc. Policy on Allergen Labeling
February 2, 2008

At Mars Canada Inc. we take food allergies very seriously because they directly affect our consumers. We have an extensive allergen management program, which includes staff training, evaluating our ingredients and validating our cleaning procedures.

In order to avoid an allergic reaction to food, you must avoid the allergen. To do so, you count on the ingredient statements on food labels to be truthful and accurate. We want you to be able to trust the information on our labels. At Mars Canada Inc. our goal is to provide safe, high-quality food products for our consumers. Therefore, we have adopted strict rules about the labelling of allergens on our products.

Our allergen labelling policy consists of two parts:

• The labelling of allergens that are part of the recipe:
  
  1. We always declare the presence of the priority allergens in Canada: peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pinenuts, pistachios, walnuts), sesame seeds, milk, eggs, seafood (including fish, crustaceans (e.g. crab, crayfish, lobster, shrimp) and shellfish (e.g. clams, mussels, oysters, scallops), soy, wheat and sulphites (< 10 ppm), regardless of the source (e.g., flavors, spices, colors, other minor ingredients).*
  2. We label these allergens in commonly understood terms at least once within the ingredient listing (e.g., casein, a protein found in milk would be labelled “modified milk ingredient”)
• The use of "May Contain <allergen>" labelling

  It is our company policy that if the protein from any one of the 9 priority allergens* were to be unintentionally transferred from one product/ingredient to another, then we would clearly indicate this in a statement just below the ingredient declaration ("Allergy Information: May Contain <allergen>"). As a result, we use the "May Contain <allergen>" statement when:
  
  We have used all reasonable means to eliminate the allergen cross contact; and we have documented proof that, despite our best cleaning efforts, allergen cross contact exists.
  
  Position of Allergen Advisory Labelling Statements:
  The primary source of information for consumers about the allergen status of our products is the wrapper in which the product is sold. Our company guidelines state that when an allergen advisory statement is required, it will:

  • Appear below/adjacent to the ingredient declaration
  • Not be obscured by the package (e.g., folds, label overlap, crimps)
  • Be clearly legible
  
  
  Always Read the Label
  The label is the best source in determining what is in the product. If you are allergic or sensitive to certain foods or ingredients, you should always read the ingredient statement and any allergen statements to ensure the product does not contain ingredients of concern to you.
  
  For consumers who would like additional information, we are pleased to provide a toll-free number on all of our product packages. You may contact Consumer Affairs at 1-800-734-3226
  
  For general information about food allergies, please visit the website of:
  • Anaphylaxis Canada
  • Canadian Food Inspection Agency
  • Health Canada
  • Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
  
  
  * Peanuts, tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pinenuts, pistachios, walnuts), sesame seeds, milk, eggs, fish (including crustaceans ( e.g. crab, crayfish, lobster, shrimp) and shellfish (e.g. clams, mussels, oysters, scallops), soy, wheat and sulphites. These Priority Allergens have been shown to account for more than 90% of severe adverse reactions related to food allergens. Source: CFIA website.

   

Learn more about Mars Healthy Living.