Heart&Stroke Health Check^TM Program

Ottawa, ON – When Health Check and the architects from grc architects finally stood back to look at their 3000-can structure, they knew that had built a winner. The structure depicted fire, as timeless technology, which was the theme of Ottawa’s Canstruction competition this year. After countless hours of planning, balancing and colour-coordinating the cans’ labels, the structure was complete.
And the colour coordination certainly paid off, as the team was awarded the prize for best use of labels in its design.

“It was a great competition and an innovative way to give back to the community,” says Ariadne Legendre, Heart and Stroke Foundation registered dietitian, who helped to build the fire.

Health Check and grc also made sure that the cans used in the structure added up to a healthy meal. The construction was built using only canned foods that meet Health Check’s strict nutrient criteria developed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s registered dietitians, based on recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide. The colourful canstruction included green beans, peaches, carrots, tomatoes and soups. Some of these were generously provided by Del Monte and Campbell’s; both of which have products in the Health Check program.

Building a structure that is sound architecturally as well as nutritionally was a key component of the challenge. The cans used in all of the competing structures will be donated to food banks, which are visited by close to 900,000 Canadians each month. Canned vegetables and soups used in the project are low in sodium, while the fruit was canned in 100 per cent fruit juice. The nutrition remains the same as that of fresh produce and will help those visiting the food bank meet the recommended seven to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit each day.
 “It’s great to know that the cans that served as the building blocks of our structure will help to build a healthy meal,” concludes Ariadne.

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