2023
Support for 5 schools.
Ongoing
Farm to School Quebec
Supporting sustainable food in schools
Farm to School Quebec is a program that supports and encourages Quebec schools to implement sustainable food education and procurement initiatives for their students.
The challenge
The food that is served in our schools has an impact on our food systems, the local economy and the environment.
Quebec schools must set an example for their communities with regards to sustainable food education. They need to help educate their students about healthy, local and environmentally responsible food, including the importance of consuming adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables every day, and as little ready-to-eat or ultra-processed foods as possible.
By implementing structured initiatives for sustainable food procurement and nutrition education, Quebec schools are not only helping to create awareness, but are also encouraging sustainable food systems.
“ Farm to School Quebec provides opportunities for students and school communities to make informed choices when it comes to food. Its initiatives contribute not only to sustainable regional food systems, but also to an bolstering our food autonomy. ”
Équiterre's work
Since 2018, Équiterre has supported 20 schools in developing and implementing their sustainable food projects, helping engage their students in growing, harvesting, preparing, processing, and serving healthy, local, and environmentally responsible food. The schools received funding through Farm to Cafeteria Canada's initiative Farm to School Canada Grants.
Objectives
As the initiator of the Farm to School Quebec project, Équiterre works to:
- Inspire and mobilize Quebec schools to increase the presence of healthy, local and environmentally responsible food in the minds and on the plates of their students;
- Support primary and secondary schools in developing their food procurement and food education initiatives by providing support, training and tools.
Farm to School Quebec is based on three main principles:
- Access to healthy, local and environmentally responsible food for youth through locally sourced foods, primarily through salad bars in cafeterias;
- Hands-on learning and student involvement;
- Building bonds between the youth and their communities.
Our impact
20 schools supported
6 administrative regions
6 108 students reached
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Sustainable food procurement in schools can have significant benefits for our society:
- Health: providing students and the school community access to a wide variety of fresh, healthy food;
- Local economy: supporting local and regional businesses by encouraging partnerships with local farmers and artisanal processors, and therefore helping to reinforce our food systems;
- Environment: promoting sustainable development among students and raising awareness about a variety of environmental issues (transportation, pesticides, food waste, packaging, etc.);
- Education: creating awareness among students about the importance of their food choices, specifically by teaching them how the agri-food system works, from field to plate.
Sustainable food procurement approaches are also beneficial for participating schools:
- They create pride among the school community to be providing quality food to students, and are opportunities to enhance knowledge, encourage creativity and mobilize school teams;
- They are appreciated by students and members of the school community, fostering a greater sense of belonging to the school.
Project history
2022
Five new Quebec schools are supported by Équiterre to introduce more local food in their establishment.
Two schools in the 2020 cohort receive the Aliments du Québec au menu recognition:
- Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption School for its salad bar and its 92 % Quebec procurement;
- The Pavillon millénaire of the Médéric-Gravel school for its 49 % Quebec procurement.
2020
Six new Quebec schools are supported by Équiterre to implement sustainable food initiatives.
2018
For the first time, Farm to School Canada grants are extended to Quebec schools. Nine schools are chosen to receive up to $10,000 each to implement a salad bar service stocked with local products and to provide food education activities.
Témoignages
“ Our entire community has rallied around this collective project, it was magical and very inspiring! We installed three vegetable gardens in planters--one at the CPE, one at the elementary school and one near our history museum, the Maison Nationale des Patriotes. We also set up a garden filled exclusively with heritage plants, fruits and vegetables so that children and visitors would have an idea of what our ancestors' vegetable gardens were like. It was truly a great community success ”
“ I really think it's a win-win partnership. It's a great link to build with the community, it allows us to make ourselves known, it allows us to expand our marketing channels. It also helps the local school ”
“ I love that the salad bar has so many choices and that it is healthy. If one day we don't feel like using this or that vegetable, we can ask for something else. I like that we have a variety of choices ”
Related content
Project Team
Project Manager, Sustainable Food
Consultant, Sustainable Food Education
Information and Logistics Officer, Sustainable Food
Communications Officer - Sustainable Agriculture and Food
Partners
Farm to School Quebec is supported and implemented by Équiterre, in collaboration with Farm to Cafeteria Canada. The project is made possible through the financial support of the Whole Kids Foundation (WKF).
