Hihglights of Food Flow Accomplishments

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

The Food Flow project is a two-year project supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. As we are approaching to the end of this project cycle, we have started to reflect on what we have accomplished since the beginning of 2013. While a full evaluation report will be released in Spring 2015, here are highlights of 5 key accomplishments from the … Read More

Third Food Flow Chef Exchange workshop on Healthy Meal Planning

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

Come join us for the third Food Flow Workshop on healthy meal planning and cooking at FoodShare! This workshop will focus on creating healthy meals that are delicious and appealing for groups, and can be prepared on a tight budget. The workshop will also address menu-planning techniques to reduce time and increase nutrition levels in a busy agency kitchen. We … Read More

Discussion paper on Aggregated Food Procurement in Toronto

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

We are thrilled to release a short discussion paper on “Aggregated Food Procurement in Toronto”! This discussion paper builds on all the Food Flow research and projects so far, and examines next steps and opportunities for how the community food sector can work together. The discussion paper raises a number of important questions and possibilities. For example: “Financial resources are … Read More

Food Flow Facility consultation underway

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

The 2013 Toronto Public Health and Food Flow research indicated the need for the Food Flow Facility, a social enterprise that will provide commercial scale food processing for agencies. It will also incorporate other services such as a community freezer, food skills training, a mobile kitchen, and distribution through partners. With funding from the Toronto Enterprise Fund and Ontario Trillium … Read More

Successful Food Canning Workshop!

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

The Food Flow project with the West End Food Co-op held a thoroughly successful food canning workshop for community agencies this month. We roasted up a boatload of tomatoes, made them into sauce, produced tomato stock on the side and discussed the Food Flow Kitchen plans, all in three hours! We had participants from Houselink, Scott Mission, Sketch, and the … Read More

Community Freezer + Meat Bulk Purchasing

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

Food Flow is exploring an urban community freezer for meat. The project would provide the infrastructure to pool the resources of local social service agencies for bulk purchases of meat at volume discounts. The meat would be kept in freezer storage at a distributor or a large agency until delivery or access by the member agencies. As a part of … Read More

The Food Flow Kitchen awarded grant from enp-TO & TEF

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

Developing the Food Flow Kitchen – a social enterprise that provides commercial food processing services for community agencies and other food-based social enterprises – is one of the key recommendations from the Food Flow research. The Food Flow team has been awarded the grant from enp-TO and Toronto Enterprise Fund to conduct a business plan for the Food Flow Kitchen! … Read More

Calling all community chefs! Food processing workshop on July 10th

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

n July 10th (Thursday), the Food Flow project is organizing a workshop for community agencies – food-related staff and volunteers – on food processing and canning! The workshop is led by the West End Food Co-op. The session will include basic processing practices as well as exchanges of ideas, plans and solutions for room temperature storage of donations and surplus … Read More

A Moving Experience: Mobile food processing

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

Coming to your neighbourhood, canning at your doorstep…the Food Flow Kitchen might be a mobile food processing kitchen. The Food Flow Kitchen is a social enterprise that will provide commercial scale processing for community agencies; it will increase access to affordably priced processed goods like canned tomatoes, provide new access to markets for farm seconds, and create stepping stone training … Read More

Developing Food Flow pilot projects

Parkdale People's EconomyCommunity Food Flow

It has been one year since the Food Flow project started in early 2013 with the strategic planning session with key stakeholders in the community food sector. The first year focused on the extensive community food needs assessment study that looked at opportunities and challenges in community food distribution and procurement. Now, after the (successful!) completion of the research phase, … Read More