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Ongoing

Aliments du Québec au menu - Institution Recognition Program

Recognizing Quebec institutions that feature Quebec food on their menus

This recognition and support program, created through a collaboration between Équiterre and Aliments du Québec, is open to all institutions, large or small, that wish to increase local food procurement in their food services.

The challenge

The Aliments du Québec au menu - Institution program was born of a dream... the dream to be able to walk into a hospital, daycare centre, school or university and see Quebec food on the menu in the cafeteria, bistro or food service counter. Équiterre contacted Aliments du Québec with this vision and the two organizations began an institutional adventure together.

The recognition program highlights the efforts of institutions that put Quebec food on the menu of their food services and it encourages them to gradually increase their local food procurement over time.

Équiterre and Aliments du Québec hope that this program will help to inspire all Quebec institutions to incorporate more and more local food into their menus.

“  To date, 80% of participating institutions have indicated that the recognition program has inspired them to incorporate more Quebec food in their menus, while 100% believe that it encourages institutions to increase their use of local food.  ”

Équiterre's work

The complementarity of Équiterre and Aliments du Québec au menu is helping to create a movement, a force that is changing the world, one local purchase at a time!

Équiterre and Aliments du Québec joined forces in 2016 to develop the institutional component of the recognition program, through a pilot project with 26 institutions from various sectors across the province.

To help showcase the program, Équiterre organized an event with the CHU Ste-Justine in 2018, to celebrate local food on Ste-Justine’s menus and to highlight all the work done by their food services team. This event inspired a new annual event known as Les institutions mangent local! beginning in 2019, in collaboration with Aliments du Québec au menu and the Tables bioalimentaires from the various regions of Quebec.

Objectives

The Aliments du Québec au menu – Institution program recognizes institutions that have Quebec products on their food services menus.

  1. Respond to the public demand for fresh and local products;
  2. Promote the efforts of institutions towards local food procurement;
  3. Help institutions by providing a framework for their efforts with a structured program, as well as assistance in finding new partners and suppliers;
  4. Support local producers and processors;
  5. Stimulate the Quebec economy by opting for more local products;
  6. Help institutions become models in terms of local procurement within the institutional community.

Our impact

Through this initiative, Quebec institutions will be inspired to adopt best practices for promoting sustainable food and set targets for the purchase of Quebec foods.

873 institutions from all across the province offer local food on their menus and are recognized under the program.

Thousands of meals per day

2 recognition options: recognition based on menu item, and an evaluation of Quebec purchases

Project history

2025

La 7e édition de l'événement Les institutions mangent local! a été marquée par le concept inédit de la carte bingo! 

Équiterre a proposé son défi santé planétaire, correspondant aux 4 coins de la carte : 

  • Dégustez des produits locaux à l’aveugle
  • Concoctez un dessert à base de légumineuses ou de légumes locaux
  • Faites découvrir des aliments du Québec peu ou mal connus
  • Réalisez une pâte maison avec des farines produites au Québec

Ce défi a été relevé par 64 institutions du Québec : bravo à elles pour leur engagement en faveur d'une alimentation durable!

2024

6th edition of the event Les institutions mangent local, with a record number of participants: over 500 establishments from across Quebec took part! New this year: the 3 daring, sharing and artistic challenges.

Article on the historic costumes of Petit Pois et Carotte, an Équiterre initiative

2023

5th edition of the event Institutions mangent local

Grocery made by Équiterre for Moisson Rive-Sud

2022

4th edition of Les institutions mangent local!

2nd edition of the Rendez-vous des institutions! held in March

2021

3rd edition of Les institutions mangent local!

1st edition of Rendez-vous des institutions! held in March

249 institutions recognized

2020

Les institutions mangent local! becomes a 3-day event in September.

186 institutions recognized

Publication of the resource tool entitled Key Recipes for Local and Environmentally Responsible Food Procurement in Quebec Institutions, which includes 8 fact sheets designed to both inspire and equip institutional and food service directors and managers, chefs, teachers, educators, stakeholders, partners and other actors in the institutional food sector to adopt sustainable and exemplary food procurement practices.

2019

Launch of the portraits of our champions: 6 short videos that showcase a daycare, a school, a CEGEP, a university, a hospital and a workplace that are working to increase their local food procurement.

La fête des récoltes becomes a one-day province-wide event (Les institutions mangent local!) in September for all institutions wishing to highlight local food on their menus.

120 recognized institutions

2018

First Fête des récoltes at CHU Ste-Justine in September celebrating local food.

66 recognized institutions

2017

The recognition program for institutions was officially launched in 2017.

26 recognized institutions

2016

The recognition program was developed for the institutional setting, with a pilot project that included 26 institutions from different sectors across the province.

Testimonials

Videos

Some inspirational examples of local food procurement leaders from different types of institutional settings (in French)

Take action

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Team

Partenaires - Aliments du Québec

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