Local and nutritious food (ANEL)

Healthcare facilities in Quebec have a duty to lead by example when it comes to the nutritional quality of the food they provide, the standards for which are defined in the framework “Focusing on Healthy Eating: A Matter of Quality,” established by the Ministry of Health and Social Services. More recently, the Stratégie nationale d’achats d’aliments québécois (SNAAQ) launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food  encourages institutions to increase the proportion of local foods in their purchases.

The challenge these institutions face is therefore to offer food that is both healthy and locally sourced.
How are food purchasing decisions made within healthcare facilities? What are the best ways to integrate these objectives of origin and nutritional quality into these decision-making processes? These are the questions addressed by the ANEL project. Based on the data collected, the team created a toolkit to support food system stakeholders in implementing a food offer that is both healthy and local in Quebec healthcare facilities.