In 2017, Concordia’s Food Services and Aramark are aiming to achieve more, joining other Quebec public institutions in a pilot project called Aliments du Québec au menu. The project will require that several meals include a minimum of 50 per cent local products from Quebec and labelled clearly as such.
Throughout his first year on campus, Aramark general manager Matthew Chang has hosted numerous events and participated in monthly meetings with various university stakeholders — allowing him the opportunity to get to know the community.
“It’s been a great opportunity to understand what Concordia wants from us as a food service provider.”
Together, Food Services and Aramark have reviewed their offer to include more affordable meal options and developed a catering menu in response to the community’s healthy choice and budget expectations. Additionally, Aramark introduced the Get the Good Stuff program, which makes healthier food choices easier to spot.
With all their efforts toward meeting Concordia’s standards for local and sustainable purchasing and practices, Chang says Aramark has started to draw attention from other food service accounts.
“Over the past year, we’ve had several visitors including Carleton University, the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University and even the University of Bristol.”
According to Chang, they all left impressed by Concordia’s ongoing initiatives.
“Visit our Food Services locations to see how much has changed,” he encourages Concordians. “Send us your feedback. We look forward to hearing from you.”