Food pantry Christmas list includes rice, tuna

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The season of giving has started, with schools, churches and businesses kicking off food drives that have become annual holiday traditions. But many food banks are asking donors to think twice before dropping ramen noodles and frosted cereals in donation barrels.

Many commonly donated foods are high in salt, sugar or calories, making them poor choices for people with high blood pressure, diabetes and other diet-related health problems. With more people turning to food banks and for longer periods of time, agency officials say they need donations but they'd like to see people give the kind of healthy and nutritious items they'd serve to their own families.

Sherrie Tussler, the executive director of the Hunger Task Force's Milwaukee office, said people tend to donate cheap foods without paying much attention to the nutrition content - and they may do so with the best of intentions. For example, people who fondly recall living off of ramen noodles in college tend to donate them to food banks, even though a single serving can have half the recommended daily allowance of sodium.     Read More