The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Quaker Canada has recalled the following Quaker Harvest quinoa granola bars due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination:
| Product Name | Size | Best Before Date | UPC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Nut Medley | 175 g (5 bars) | 16 OC 16 | 0 55577 11021 8 | |
| Yogurt, Fruit & Nut | 175 g (5 bars) | 16 OC 12 | 0 55577 11020 1 |
Though there have been no reported illnesses associated with the granola bars, customers are advised to dispose of the bars or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund. The bars were distributed to Longo’s stores and other pharmacies throughout Ontario.
Customer who consumed the recalled bars are advised to contact their doctor. Contaminated food may look and smell fine. Symptoms of Listeria monocytogenes can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.
The elderly and those with weakened immune systems, as well as pregnant women, are especially at risk. Though pregnant women may only experience mild symptoms, eating contaminated food could lead to premature delivery, infection of the newborn or even stillbirth. In severe cases, Listeria can cause death.
For further information, customers may contact Quaker Canada's customer service at 800-267-6287 or via the company's website.
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau dared to admit to a Quebec newspaper that she needs more help, and the country went berserk. After all, here is a stay-at-home mom-of-three already charging taxpayers for nannies, and she needs more help. Who does she think she is!
She's the Prime Minister's wife, which comes with a whole host of duties and obligations. Unlike other PM wives who were content to remain in the background (Aline Chrétien did and Olive Diefenbaker), Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is passionate and outspoken in her own right. She is a huge advocate of women's issues in particular.
Like Mila Mulroney before her, she prefers to get involved. Way back when, Mulroney had three staffers, while Grégoire Trudeau's predecessor Laureen Harper had just one. And Grégoire Trudeau's help currently operates from the dining room table...
But therein lies the big difference. Unlike Mrs Harper, Grégoire Trudeau is in demand. She's incredibly popular, so requests for public engagements and speeches are pouring in. Every week she gets an estimated 50 to 60 requests to appear at some charity or other. The correspondence must be insane.
Of course she doesn't have to get involved in any of these events. After all, she doesn't get a penny for them. But the country would be worse off without her contribution. Her work - and yes, it is work - is an important service to our country.
How can Canadians fail to see the value in having a prominent and active spouse is beyond me. Are we really saying that a Prime Minister wife's only role is to "stand by her man" and smile for cameras during official stately engagements?
Because that is what our criticism amounts to. Let's get our heads out of the kitchen for a moment, shall we? Stately spouses like Grégoire Trudeau and Michelle Obama have a valuable role to play in public service if we let them. We see Vogue covers and fancy dresses and assume being the PM's wife is all fun and frivolity - and occasionally it probably is - yet the stately role extends far beyond that.
Instead of begrudging assistance, let's show support for the job these women do instead of discouraging their involvement in public office.
Grégoire Trudeau epitomizes the work-life struggle so many of us can relate to, so why resent her for it? Why hate on her for admitting she needs more help to manage the crazy demands put on her?
She's not superwoman, nor should she be. Sure, none of us have one paid assistant, let alone three. But then, none of us faces the unique demands of her position. Not even close.
Image Source: Twitter
Miscarriage is something very few of us talk about openly. And we talk even less about pregnancy following miscarriage. But that is changing, thanks to actress Eva Amurri Martino, daughter of Susan Sarandon, who has revealed her struggles in a heartwrenching blog.
Even though Amurri Martino and hubby Kyle Martino are expecting another child, it would be a mistake to assume everything is hunky dory.
In her must-read post, entitled "Pregnancy After Miscarriage," Amurri Martino explains that the grief of a miscarriage doesn't magically lift once a couple manages to conceive again.
"I think there's a misconception that once a woman conceives after a miscarriage, that somehow her miscarriage is erased - that the feelings of loss are replaced by feelings of joy for this new baby, and that everything moves forward as it should be," wrote Amurri Martino. "In my own experience, this couldn't be further from the truth."
Though the actress has a 21-month-old daughter named Marlowe, she miscarried a previous pregnancy at the 10-weeks mark.
"As I grieved the loss of my child, and what could have been, I was also paralyzed by a fear that I would never again have a healthy child. My miscarriage was so sudden, so unexpected. I had been in to my doctor's office for a perfect, normal ultrasound just the day before. I saw our baby moving and growing normally: its arms and legs, its perfect heartbeat, its size right on track. Then, our baby passed away inside me what must have been only a few hours later."
She is not the only celebrity to open up about her experience with miscarriage. Every day 'regular' women are breaking the silence about loss, too. For many couples knowing you're not alone can be critical to the healing process.
There is an assumption, as Amurri Martino suggests, that if a woman falls pregnant, she should ride off into the sunset and enjoy her happy ending. She's not allowed to be sad; she's not allowed to wallow. Time heals and she should move on within a set timeframe. Why hasn't she moved on?
And if she suffers from one or more miscarriages in secondary pregnancies, there's this expectation that she should just suck it up and count her lucky stars that she already has a child. Why isn't she grateful?
And dads? Well, they are dismissed completely.
As a society we still have a long way to go when it comes to honouring the emotions of those who experience loss at any stage.
Image Source: Instagram
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