Local harvests deliver healthy food for patient meals at the JGH
Twice a week, vegetable grower Robin Fortin delivers a bounty of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and other produce from his farm in central Quebec to the Jewish General University Health Centre.
The deliveries are part of an initiative to put locally sourced foods on the plates of patients and residents in the Santé Québec West-Central Montreal Health and Social Services University Network. This farm-to-fork effort is yielding results: In only one year, the share of local produce purchased for our kitchens has climbed to 68.8 per cent from about 50 per cent.
The delivery of fresh produce from Mr. Fortin’s farm in Wickham to the heart of Montreal symbolizes the connections created by our organization’s buy-local approach. The benefits go beyond taste: Shorter travel distances mean a smaller environmental footprint, while patients get food that is fresh and nutritious.
“The products we receive are terrific, because when we get them, they’re full of taste and we don’t really need to transform them that much,” says Vincent Venne, a Chef at the JGH. “Working with local products gives my work meaning and makes me really proud.”
Watch this video to discover how farmers, staff and patients are creating an ecosystem that’s good for health care and the community. The initiative is supported by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec.