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Last week, Equiterre hosted a conference by Joanne Bays, National Manager of Farm to Cafeteria Canada, a network that aims to bring healthy, local and sustainably produced foods into public agencies. She spoke about what British Columbia has done to bring more local food into its public institutions over the past decade. Hint: it has done a lot.
Here are just some of the many interesting points that Joanne brought up. It certainly makes you think about what we can do here in Quebec to improve access to local food in our schools, hospitals and other institutions.
- More than 450,000 students attending public schools or First Nations schools receive fruits and vegetables from nearby farms as snacks on a regular basis.
- Haida Gwaii, a remote group of islands just south of the Alaskan panhandle, has Farm to Cafeteria programs in all of its schools, some of its healthcare facilities, and one culinary arts centre. It also boasts five greenhouses in various stages of development.
- Both the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria have local food procurement policies: more than 50% of their food is locally sourced.
- The Vancouver School Board was a pioneer in allowing schoolyard gardens.
- About 20,000 students across the province benefit from in-school salad bars at lunchtime.
Equiterre is proud to be a member of Farm to Cafeteria Canada. In recent years, we've amplified efforts to bring more local food into Quebec's institutional food services. It is very encouraging for us to hear about what other provinces have achieved. Thanks Joanne!
