Institutions Eat Local! : Two Inspiring Standout Initiatives!

Aliments du Québec’s Favourite :

CPE Boute-en-train (Lanaudière)

As a member of the Aliments du Québec au menu program, CPE Boute-en-train got creative at both of its locations to introduce young children and their families to local foods! 

At La p’tite gare St-Esprit, a pop-up market brought together local producers who supply the food served at the childcare centre every day. Families and neighbourhood residents had the chance to meet these producers, sample their products, including tofu, organic garlic, maple products, fruits and vegetables, and learn more about the foods served to the children. To make the experience even more fun, two educators dressed up as an ear of corn and an eggplant, while a temporary tattoo booth featuring food-themed designs kept little visitors entertained. The initiative brought together more than 100 people to celebrate local flavours!

Meanwhile, La p’tite gare St-Roch dedicated an entire day to Québec foods, from morning snack to dessert. The menu featured Québec-grown apples and grapes, a strawberry bar made with local ingredients, and a “poqué bowl,” a Québec-inspired take on the popular poke bowl, made with northern shrimp, grilled seitan, quinoa and local vegetables. Served as a toppings bar, the meal invited children to build their own bowls and explore the ingredients at their own pace. To add a touch of magic and humour to the culinary adventure, the educational support coordinator stepped into the role of Chef M. Cuisto, who came to sample Québec products! The children and educators had the pleasure of discovering ingredients such as fennel and seitan.

“Congratulations to CPE Boute-en-train for this outstanding community engagement! By showcasing Québec producers and food processors well beyond the walls of the childcare centre, these initiatives demonstrate how local food can bring people of all ages together, build lasting connections with the community, and foster a love of local food from an early age!”

- The Aliments du Québec team

Équiterre’s Favourite :

École secondaire du Littoral (Gaspésie)

École secondaire du Littoral organized a wonderful series of activities to raise students’ awareness of the importance of local food.

First, an interactive matching game challenged students to identify where different foods came from by sorting them into three categories: products from the Gaspé Peninsula, products from elsewhere in Québec, and products from outside the province.

The experience continued with two fresh pasta-making workshops using flour from La Milanaise. More than 30 students took part, many of them making pasta for the very first time! To complete the experience, students prepared a quick spaghetti sauce using a variety of Québec foods and compared different brands available on the market. Maple syrup supplied by Érablière Saint-Gabriel was used to sweeten the sauce instead of white sugar. Thanks to the team’s dedication and the loan of five pasta machines by community members, the initiative was such a success that it inspired a brand-new extracurricular activity: a cooking workshop will now be offered every month until the end of the school year, with the same goal of helping young people discover the joy of cooking and the richness of local foods.

“We would like to recognize all the institutions that took part in the Planetary Health Challenge, which we launched to encourage participants to complete the actions featured in the four corners of the BINGO card. We were thrilled to discover your initiatives, and your creativity inspires us! We are proud to name a secondary school as our 2026 Favourite for standing out with its awareness-raising workshops, matching game and educational activities. The initiative even inspired a monthly cooking workshop as part of the school’s extracurricular program! Congratulations to Joëlle Dubé, her entire team and the students!”

- The Équiterre team