The Local Food Challenge represents another step in the evolution of food at the University of Toronto. The Challenge allowed them to build upon their previous goals of 10 per cent local food procurement campus-wide. As part of their Challenge they held an event called Field-to-Fork, which saw an entire street closed off for a day-long local food feast for close to 200 people. The University invited their students to sign a pledge to buy local food on and off campus, and to date 500 students have showed their commitment to local food. Through seasonal menu planning and the hard work of five campus dining hall chefs, U of T’s grant resulted in a $425,000 local food spend over the duration of the Challenge.

What they told us: “With the support of the Greenbelt Fund, the Local Food Challenge has been a huge hit on campus. The future of food at U of T is bright, and our progress has given us good cause to be excited.” - Jaco Lokker, Director of Food Services, University of Toronto