Toronto Hospital Food Going Local and Other News

Hello and welcome to the Miratel Solutions blog. Today we have a miscellaneous selection of news from around Toronto, Ontario where our contact centre and mail house is located so let’s get right to it.

This past Wednesday August 10th, St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto featured some Ontario grown produce for the first time on its patient menus. This may not seem like much of a feat but it is a great challenge for institutions struggling with less than $8.00 per day/per patient to spend and that needs to cover three meals and two snacks.

Recent budget cuts saw the $24 million originally allocated over 3 years to increasing local food into various government institutions cut to $6 million due to the state of the economy. St. Michael’s Hospital received $55,000 from the province, via the Broader Public Sector Investment Fund, which “aims to increase the amount of Ontario foods purchased through municipal, university, school and hospital food services.”
Local foods are fresher and healthier for both people and the planet but currently only 20% of hospital food originates from Ontario. Other hospitals looking to increase their local food quotient include The Scarborough Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Guelph and Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay.

The cost of buying local can result in a 10% increase in patient meals which local food advocates are encouraging. These additional costs are due to higher labour rates in Ontario and additional food safety regulations among other reasons. Current daily patient food budgets are:

• St. Michael’s Hospital: $7.69
  

  Local Ontario produce image courtesy of bpsinvestmentfund.ca

• University Health Network: $7.28
• Mount Sinai: $7.44
• Long-term care institutions: $7.33

Misc News:

Ontario Tire Stewardship Ontario (OTS) is an Industry Funding Organization (IFO) incorporated under Ontario’s Waste Diversion Act, to implement and operate the Used Tires Program. This province-wide scrap tire solution for On-road and Off-road tires supplied into the Ontario market, will divert scrap tires away from burning and landfilling to 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) processing and uses. Check it out to learn more about donating tires, purchasing products made from recycled tires or tire collection and maintenance events.

Fortune Cooking Food Festival from Aug. 12 to 14 at Harbourfront Centre (235 Queen Quay W). A tasty exploration of Pan-Asian cuisine and its influence across the globe that is sure to be a feast for foodies with demonstrations from some of Toronto’s leading Pan-Asian chefs. While food is the focus, festival goers can also savour music, dance performances and art along with films and family activities all along our beautiful Harbourfront.

Conscious Food Festival from August 13-14th at Fort York National Historic Site has a mission is to introduce thousands of Torontonians to food that is local, healthy, delicious and that “highlight the connection between earth and our plates.” This collaborative event is hosted by a number of like-minded individuals and organizations, all committed to sustainable, conscious eating. Bring your appetite and a few reusable shopping bags so you can take some of the great taste of the festival home with you.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values and advancing the missions of the non-profits we proudly serve.