‘We’re working toward creating sustainable food systems’

Concordia University and the Concordia Food Coalition (CFC) are joining forces with Food Secure Canada to co-host Canada’s largest and most vibrant community-oriented food gathering.

The 10th Annual Resetting the Table National Assembly will take place next year from November 1 to 4. Participants from across the country will discuss and reflect on issues concerning healthy, just and sustainable food. Last year’s event brought together 900 attendees and 175 speakers across 60 sessions.

Sebastián Di Poi, internal coordinator for the CFC, says the group is both honoured and excited to co-host this event, which promises to foster an exchange of ideas to positively impact the future of food in Canada.

“As organizations we are working toward creating sustainable food systems at different levels of society,” he says.

“The deep overlap in our values and objectives make this collaboration one that offers unlimited potential for our diverse communities."

Get your hands dirty

For Isabelle Mailhot-Leduc, Concordia’s sustainable food system coordinator, this event provides the university with a great opportunity to partake in transformative learning.

“There has been a lot of interest in this topic and a drive within all levels of Concordia to better understand the story of our food and the impact our choices have on health, the environment and the economy.”

Mailhot-Leduc points to Concordia’s participation in the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation’s Institutional Food Program and the university’s shift toward purchasing from more local and sustainable sources.

While food is a hot topic at the institutional level, it is also an important topic for numerous researchers and student-run food groups such as Le Frigo Vert, the Concordia Greenhouse, People’s Potato, the CFC and the Hive Café Co-op.

“Concordia’s student body has always been active at putting ideas into practice, consistently engaging peers and the broader community through different projects and initiatives,” Di Poi adds.

Getting engaged in food security is key, and what better way to do so than by getting involved in Resetting the Table?

Present your ideas, organize a tour and share your thoughts about the future of food in Canada. Submit your proposals before January 30, 2018. There will also be numerous ways you can get involved as a volunteer.

Learn more about sustainable food at Concordia.