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

This guide provides an introduction to the use of Learning Circles as a means of furthering Farm to School (F2S) efforts across Canada. It is primarily intended for use by local and regional F2S Coordinators to support their work to increase the availability of healthy, local, and sustainable food to children and youth. However, anyone...Read More

This report,  Alternative Avenues to Local Food in Schools: Ingredients for Success, provides the current school food context in 3 regions, Durham, Peel, and Thunder Bay, details 7 pilot projects, and includes 8 “Ingredients for Success” or guidelines for implementing local food projects that resulted from the pilots. As you continue to bring local food...Read More

National Farm to School Network & Colorado State University | September 29, 2017 Farm to school offers cross-sectoral benefits for children, farmers and communities, however, limited data is available to truly understand the economic impacts of farm to school procurement. Using a survey and case study approach, this report (a collaborative project of the National Farm to...Read More

June 2016 – Nourishing School Communities (NSC) partners recently presented a case study and poster on the first two years of a public-private partnership with the Lunch Lady at the Transforming the Food Environment conference in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1993 by Ruthie Burd, the Lunch Lady is Canada’s largest privately-owned elementary school food provider....Read More

At institutions throughout New England, dining staff are beginning to look to the sea as another source for local foods. Institutions from across health care, colleges & universities, and K-12 school systems are incorporating locally caught seafood into their meals for a variety of reasons and through a variety of procurement models. FINE set out...Read More

Schools, post-secondary, healthcare institutions and Crown corporations collectively purchase millions of dollars’ worth of food annually, yet little is known around how much local food has been purchased. At the same time, their large purchasing power and role as public facilities put institutions in a unique position to be positive drivers for growing our local...Read More

Institutions, such as universities, play an important role in food system change, whether it’s because they are publicly funded, or because stakeholders, such as students and administration can influence purchasing policies and practices within the institution. We sat down with Ben Kramer (Chef) and Kirsten Godbout (Manager of Food Operations) to learn more about their food...Read More

Photo: Laura Berman, Greenfuse Photography Good healthy food for all – this is the mandate in which FoodShare bases all of their work. Working with communities and schools since 1985 to deliver healthy food and food education, FoodShare has a number of projects and initiatives that work to increase access to affordable high-quality fresh food....Read More

Across Winnipeg there is a growing interest in food issues. Many members of our community face challenges accessing and preparing healthy foods, increasing numbers of people are dealing with chronic diseases such as  diabetes, and there is a growing awareness of the role of the importance of cultural food traditions. Schools can be key partners...Read More