The U.S. National Farm to School Network (NFSN) has issued a call to action: by 2025, 100% of communities will hold power in a racially just food system. We can all learn from some of the ways NFSN has shared they are working toward this — by looking at how they’re advocating for values-based policies,...Read More

Access Stories, Resources and Impacts October is Farm to School Month and this year, we’re celebrating the impacts of farm to school all across the country. We know this school year is different from any other. Schools are doing their best to adapt in significant ways. We are taking this time to share the farm...Read More

Between September 2016 and June 2020, 86 schools and 10 campuses participated in the Canada Digs In! initiative. Schools received grants of up to $10,000 to deliver farm to school salad bar programs. Students ate local and healthy food, participated in hands-on food literacy activities and connected with local food providers, growers, chefs, knowledge keepers, public...Read More

As September rolls around, the age-old concept of “back-to-school” just doesn’t have the same ring as past years.  According to a recently released United Nations policy brief, education as we know it will be fundamentally different, not just today but into the future.  Rather than going “back to school,“, we need different and forward-thinking approaches. One that is...Read More

The past two weeks have been a time of uprising and activation against systemic racism, oppression and related violence that has and continues to impact black, Indigenous, and other people of colour.  At Farm to Cafeteria Canada, we stand against racism in all its forms. We grieve with the individuals and their loved ones affected...Read More

In Quebec, the buzz surrounding local food is growing, not only among citizens and institutions, but also within the provincial government. The province has been promoting healthy, local and sustainable food in public institutions for several years.   In 2018, nine Quebec schools received grants of up to $10,000 as part of the Farm to...Read More

Photo by Alyson McPhee on Unsplash While COVID-19 calls for physical distancing, more than ever the world is socially connected, and a hot topic of conversation is food. The pandemic has ramped-up a growing movement in civil society to rediscover and reclaim food systems. Institutions like schools are front and centre because of the essential role they...Read More

This case study explores farm to campus activities at the University of Victoria, a participating campus in the Farm to School: Canada Digs In! initiative.  Read this case study if you’re interested in understanding how Meal Exchange’s Good Food Challenge can be applied to not only increase the amount of healthy, just and sustainably produced food on campuses but how doing...Read More

The popularity of local food and sustainable agricultural practices has grown since the early 2000s. But despite the growing demand for fresh, local and sustainable food, the reality is that most of our food still comes from industrial processes and from other countries. On-campus initiatives like Meal Exchange’s Good Food Challenge are trying to create...Read More

Photo: Joshna Maharaj’s book Take Back the Tray: Revolutionising Food in Hospitals, Schools and Institutions is a call-to-arms for chefs and administrators alike. (@joshnamaharaj/Twitter.com, ECW Press) Why hospital food is so bad and how we can make it better May 29, 2020 www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition Is there anything more unappetizing than hospital food? The very mention of it...Read More