For Immediate Release
December 1, 2016
Durham Region Long-Term Care Teams Make Fresh, Local Recipes for Residents’ Enjoyment
The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance (GHFFA) has partnered with Burlodge Canada to offer a “Refresh” seminar for the Region of Durham’s Long Term Care (LTC) food teams on Thursday, December 1, as part of the GHFFA's Municipal Local Food Procurement Project with financial support from the Greenbelt Fund.
The “Refresh” workshop is an opportunity for LTC food directors and staff to broaden their knowledge on locally-sourced recipes that can be prepared in the Burlodge ovens, which were original designed to reheat already prepared food.
“Meal service is often one of the most anticipated times at long-term care facilities,” says Paul Gauntley, President of Burlodge. “This opportunity will help expand facility staff’s repertoire of recipes and ideas about how the ovens can be used to incorporate more Ontario food in recipe planning, and how these new food offerings can positively impact the dining experience of their residents.”
“The Local Food Project is helping Broader Public Sector Institutions better understand where their food is coming from, and what opportunities exist to increase the amount of Ontario food offered in these facilities,” says Jamie Reaume, Chair of the GHFFA. “Long Term Care facilities have unique challenges in terms of tight budgets, meal preparation equipment and food texture modifications for their residents. Our goal with this project is to work within those boundaries to increase the use and purchase of more Ontario food for residents to enjoy.”
“This project is taking ovens designed to warm pre-processed foods and use them to prepare homemade meals using fresh, local ingredients,” says Burkhard Mausberg, CEO of the Greenbelt Fund. “Changing foodservice in long-term care homes to incorporate more local food is better for residents and for the Ontario economy.”
The GHFFA's Municipal Local Food Procurement Project is an initiative to assist engaged broader public sector organizations in the Golden Horseshoe to purchase and use more Ontario food in their facilities. The project is unique to the Regions of Durham, Halton and the City of Hamilton, and sets an example of a way to move forward with Long Term Care institutions who are interested in local food procurement. The project is generously funded by the Greenbelt Fund.
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About the Greenbelt Fund:
The Greenbelt Fund changes the way we eat food in Ontario. Our innovative investments get more local food onto the plates of Ontarians. We work with businesses, institutions and NGOs to make Ontario’s farmers the first choice for consumers. The Fund’s work has generated a 13-fold return on our investments, permanently changed the food value chain, and improved local food awareness and education around the province. As a not-for-profit, the Greenbelt Fund is supported by public and private sources.
About the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance:
The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance (GHFFA) is comprised of the Niagara Agricultural Policy and Action Committee, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the Friends of the Greenbelt, the Ontario Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, Holland Marsh Growers’ Association, Durham College, Country Heritage Park, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Ecosource, Food and Beverage Ontario, the Regions of Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, York and the Cities of Hamilton and Toronto, as well as local representatives from the food and farming value chain. In 2012, the GHFFA released the Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Action Plan 2021, which identifies pathways for a more integrated and coordinated approach to food and farming viability in the area to ensure that the Golden Horseshoe retains, enhances and expands its role as a leading food and farming cluster.
About Burlodge Canada:
Over 60 Million Meals are served using Burlodge Food Service Equipment in healthcare across Canada each year. Burlodge has offices in Calgary and Montreal, with its head office located in Brampton, Ontario. The company has been part of the Canadian healthcare foodservice industry for over 30 years and is recognized as the pre-eminent leader in specialized meal delivery equipment. Burlodge equipment and systems ensure that the considerable effort and costs that go into each meal are not lost at point of service - hot food is served hot and cold food is served cold. Burlodge has developed recipes that use local and fresh ingredients that can be used inside its unique equipment with great success while staying in the strict cost constraints of healthcare foodservice funding. The recipes make up the ReFresh Program that helps foodservice staff and managers take back in-house meal preparation using local ingredients while driving client satisfaction by improving the overall dining experience.
Contact:
Erica Woods
Communications Manager
Greenbelt Fund
416-960-001 ext. 306