Jean-Talon Hospital in Montreal was the first hospital to join Équiterre’s Soup’s On pilot project in 2007. After 5 years, the hospital continues to offer local fruits and vegetables when in season. 15% to 20% of the total fruits and vegetable purchases made are local produce. During the harvesting season from June to October, at least 1 local organic vegetable is introduced in the 400 meals served daily along with the variety of organic vegetables in the salad bars. As a result, in the first year of the project the consumption of vegetables has increased by 30%. Jean-Talon Hospital is proud to source locally because of the quality and nutritional value of the local fruits and vegetables.
D3 Pierres Ecological Farm is one of the preferred suppliers during the harvest period. As well, the parking lot of the hospital served as a drop-off point for CSA baskets and the employees were encouraged to register. There is an added cost of 15-20% this year from purchasing local food, though by finding suppliers who offer the best prices for the rest of the year and modifying recipes to reduce costs this was able to be feasible.
Discover the project with the video (only in French) :
www.equiterre.org/fiche/approvisionnement-local-dans-les-etablissements-de-sante
