Ontario Food Welcomed on Plates of Public Institutions

- Greenbelt Fund Continues Local Food Grant Program-

TORONTO, June 22, 2012 /CNW/ - In just over a year the Greenbelt Fund has made 38 grants to various public institutions, farmers and foodservice distributors to bring more Ontario food into kitchens and cafeterias across the province. These grants have also helped to increase Ontario food sale purchases by $9 million. With new support from the Ontario government, the Fund will continue to support change in our hospitals, municipal long-term care facilities, school boards and universities and colleges.

The Ontario government is helping the Greenbelt Fund continue their grant program and increase local food procurement in public institutions. The Fund will support the further development of Ontariofresh.ca, a website dedicated to making connections in the business of local food, and issue a "buy local challenge" to encourage more public institutions to incorporate more sustainable and Ontario food purchasing practices.

"The Greenbelt Fund has been instrumental in making significant changes to food purchasing practices in public institutions across the province. With the continued support from the Ontario government, we will be able to ensure more of the great food grown and produced here reaches more students, residents and patients."
- Burkhard Mausberg, CEO, Greenbelt Fund

About the Greenbelt Fund:
The Greenbelt Fund is a sister organization of the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. With funding from the Ontario Government, the Fund is helping to increase the amount of Ontario food served in daycares, schools, universities and colleges, hospitals and long-term care facilities through its program, the Broader Public Sector Investment Fund: Promoting Ontario Food.

This program provides grants to local food industry leaders, producers, distributors, food service providers and public institutions working to serve more Ontario food. Helping to overcome challenges, support economic growth and the sustainability of agriculture in Ontario, the Fund's goal is to help create systemic change to permanently increase the amount of local food in the province's public institutions.  For more information about the program and grants, please visit www.bpsinvestmentfund.ca.

or to book an interview, please contact:
Julienne Spence
Communications Manager, Greenbelt Fund
Office: 416-960-0001, ext. 311
Mobile: [phone] 
[email protected]