McGill University Farm Brings Fresh Produce to Montreal Hospitals
Fresh apples, plums, bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, and onions harvested directly from the Macdonald Campus farm are now available to patients, clients, and staff at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) Glen site and the Montreal General Hospital. This initiative brings local agriculture straight to hospital cafeterias through a new partnership between MUHC Food Services and McGill University.
Building a Sustainable Farm-to-Hospital Supply Chain
The collaboration aims to increase local food procurement and lower the environmental footprint of institutional food services. Jade Corriveau, manager responsible for logistics and food services at the MUHC, stated that the project represents the start of a long-term partnership designed to expand over time. Corriveau noted that the initiative allows the hospital network to connect directly with regional producers and offer more fresh Quebec food to patients, staff, and visitors. Food systems account for roughly one-third of human-induced global greenhouse gas emissions, making local sourcing an essential tool for cutting environmental impacts, according to Mary Hendrickson, senior faculty lecturer at McGill’s School of Human Nutrition and clinical coordinator in dietetics at the Montreal General Hospital. Jade Corriveau previously shopped at Mac Market as a student in dietetics and human nutrition at McGill University. Jade and colleagues in MUHC food services sought to expand their network of local suppliers to support the Quebec economy and reduce the environmental impact of facility operations, naturally opting for a partnership with McGill due to existing ties. The Macdonald Campus farm has long supplied the McGill community and other Montrealers, providing fresh fruits and vegetables to University Food Services for more than ten years through the McGill feeding McGill initiative, while the creation of Mac Market dates back even further.
Educational Opportunities for Dietetics Students
The farm-to-table project integrates hands-on learning for students in McGill’s School of Human Nutrition. Dietetics students helped develop recipes and shadowed MUHC and farm staff during observation days. Hendrickson emphasized the importance of understanding the journey of food from the farm to the plate and expressed hope that the collaboration will continue to provide educational opportunities for Macdonald Campus students. The Macdonald Campus farm spans 240 hectares of urban agricultural land and operates as an integrated teaching and research facility, which includes a dairy herd, horticultural research center, and field crop plots utilized for hands-on student training. The farm comprises the only dairy herd on the island of Montreal, a poultry facility currently under renovation, a large animal research unit, a horticultural research and market center, and the Emile A. Lods Agronomy Research Centre. Students, teachers, and Macdonald Campus farm staff worked behind the scenes to establish the project.
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