Aliments du Québec au menu honours Concordia for its local food leadership

With the help of its food service provider, Aramark, Concordia Food Services is a Coup de Coeur award recipient in the sixth edition of the Institutions Eat Local! event organized by Aliments du Québec au menu.

This recognition comes with a $1,000 prize for the university’s outstanding efforts to promote and integrate local Quebec foods into campus dining.

“It’s hard to choose among so many inspiring initiatives!” shared the Aliments du Québec au menu team in their announcement. “Our pick for 2024 goes to Concordia University, who was able to mobilize students and staff around the importance of eating local food.”

Commitment to sustainable and local food

This award is a testament to Concordia’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and local food sourcing. The university has set ambitious goals to increase the proportion of local and sustainable foods in its dining services. Key initiatives include:

• Seasonal sourcing goals: Ensuring 50 per cent of food purchases in the summer and fall, and 40 per cent in the winter and spring, come from local or sustainable sources.
• Vendor collaboration: Actively seeking local and sustainable food vendors and connecting them with Concordia Food Services and student-run cafés.
• Sustainability in procurement: Embedding environmental and social sustainability requirements into all food service tenders, agreements and contracts, including the elimination of plastic water bottles from campus.

Building a resilient and inclusive food system

Concordia is also investing in urban agriculture, sustainability education and culturally inclusive food options in the following ways:

• Supporting urban agriculture projects and creating edible, pollinator-friendly campus landscapes.
• Promoting healthy, plant-based and allergen-free meal options.
• Consulting with the campus community to increase culturally inclusive food choices.

“Our efforts are about more than food,” says Oliver De Volpi, manager of Food Services.  “They’re about fostering a sustainable, inclusive community that champions local producers. This recognition from Aliments du Québec au menu affirms the importance of this work.”

Looking ahead

With this $1,000 bursary, Concordia plans to highlight local food initiatives and certified products. Throughout the winter term, residence dining halls will feature Aliments du Québec– and Aliments préparés au Québec–certified products through special spotlights aimed at raising student awareness and appreciation for these local options. Additionally, the bursary will support product tastings and promotions of locally sourced items at the new Stingers Café, located on the fourth floor of the Henry F. Hall Building. These efforts will further connect the Concordia community with Quebec's rich culinary offerings.

Check out Concordia’s Sustainable Campus Food web page to learn more about how you can get involved.