La Récolte engagée

Inspired by the success of the Récolte engagée project run by the Centre de ressources et d'action communautaire de la Petite-Patrie (CRACPP) to combat poverty and food waste at the Jean-Talon Market, Montreal Public Markets is extending this initiative to the Atwater Market in partnership with local organisation Partageons l'espoir. Since the launch of La Récolte engagée at Marché Jean-Talon in summer 2017, 68 tonnes of fruit and vegetables have been redistributed to households in need in the form of baskets or ready-to-eat cooked meals.

"Montreal's Public Markets are part of sustainable development on a daily basis because of their local nature. They offer consumers a short circuit with direct contact with producers. It was only natural that we should continue in this vein and bring fresh market produce to as many households in the district as possible, whatever the size of their wallet."

Nicolas Fabien-Ouellet, General Director of Montreal's Public Markets

A success at Jean-Talon Market

The Récolte engagée project carried out in partnership with CRACPP will have recovered, by the summer of 2022 alone, 10,795 kg of fruit and vegetables, from more than sixty varieties. Of this amount, 49% (5,286 kg) of the fruit and vegetables were redistributed in the form of baskets, for a total of 2,545 baskets, and 29% (3,133 kg) were cooked and transformed into ready-to-eat meals. In all, 677 households in La Petite-Patrie benefited from this recovery thanks to the merchants at Jean-Talon Market.

Combating food waste is a priority for the Montreal Public Markets. That's why more and more merchants are offering baskets of ‘ugly’ fruit and vegetables at reduced prices. It's an initiative that's proving popular with consumers.

"CRACPP is delighted to be able to continue its collaboration with Jean-Talon Market for a 6th year. The merchants' contribution to the Récolte engagée project makes a significant contribution to our mission and our ability to better serve our community. We're proud to inspire other organisations and extend the fight against food waste and food insecurity. We would also like to thank our main partners, the Borough of Rosemont - La Petite-Patrie, CIUSSS-NÎM and the RTCPP for their collaboration."

Julie Humbert-Brun, Food Services Coordinator and Manager of La Récolte engagée

At Atwater Market

Thanks to the organization Share the Warmth, the Montreal's Public Markets have been recreating the same success at the Atwater Market since 2023. Supported by CRACPP, Partageons l'espoir recovers unsold fruit and vegetables from merchants and distributes them to low-income households in Montreal's southwest and Verdun neighbourhoods. The local organisation, which is already involved in the neighbourhoods around the Atwater Market, was selected following a call for applications. The project is receiving funding from the Guichet unique pour la transition alimentaire (GUTA), an initiative of the Conseil du système alimentaire montréalais.

"We're delighted to be partnering with the Montreal Public Markets to recover unsold goods from retailers and help reduce food waste. As a local organisation with strong roots in the Sud-Ouest, we'll be able to pass on the benefits to the community through our various food programmes."

Julie Poirier, Director of food security programmes at Share the Warmth

"The SAM Council designed GUTA to support food retailers in reducing their ecological footprint, by networking and sharing good practice. When a project like the Récolte engagée has proved its worth, it is essential to be able to replicate it or scale it up. That's the way to consolidate these structuring initiatives and make a success of the food transition together".

Anne Marie Aubert, Coordinator of the Montréal Food System Council

About Société des Marchés publics de Montréal

A social economy enterprise, the Société de gestion des Marchés publics de Montréal is the benchmark for planning, developing and operating a public market. Its mission is to improve access to fresh produce through a network of public markets that bring Montrealers closer to local food producers and artisans. Since 1993, it has been mandated by the City of Montreal to manage the Atwater Market, the Jean-Talon Market, the Maisonneuve Market, six neighbourhood markets and three solidarity markets. A not-for-profit organisation, its governance is based on a mixed board of directors, made up of five merchants and five residents of the Greater Montreal area, and its members' assembly brings together nearly 200 members who sell at public markets. Its network is visited by more than three out of four Montrealers, with over 3 million visits a year.

About CRACPP

The Centre de ressources et d'action communautaire de La Petite-Patrie (CRACPP) is an organisation that fights poverty. Through its food security activities and its fight against waste, it helps to improve the living conditions of the members of its community and to defend fundamental human rights. The Engaged Harvest is a CRACPP flagship project that began in 2017 and has since grown exponentially, involving ever more partners, organisations, members and volunteers. It has become an unmissable summer event that is rich in colour, fruit and vegetables!

About Share the Warmth

Share the Warmth is a community organisation whose mission is to meet the needs of the community through accessible services designed to help us all grow together. This mission is carried out in the community through a number of programmes: the healthy food bank, the pay-what-you-can fruit and vegetable market, after-school cooking workshops, specialised tutoring for children with learning difficulties, and the extensive music programme for children and adults. At the heart of Share the Warmth's work is the conviction that together we can fight hunger and poverty.

About Guichet unique pour la transition alimentaire (GUTA)

GUTA was born out of the realisation that the fight against climate change had to be fought through sustainable food, supported by all the players in the food system. Its aim is to provide practical support to food businesses wishing to work on these issues, by centralising a wealth of practical resources, products and services, and news. The portal also references a network of specialist support structures working on our four pillars of action: reducing food waste and packaging and containers on the one hand, and increasing local purchasing and plant-based options on the other.

The SAM Council is a cross-sectoral food policy council for Montreal. It brings together more than 150 food stakeholders.