Team Toronto Impact Report
Report
National Cohorts
Procurement
Sustainable Food and Menus
From Small Steps to Big Change: Our Journey for Planetary Health
When joining the Nourish Cohort, Team Toronto had already made sustainability strides, like sourcing local produce and reducing some single-use plastics, but they knew they wanted to do more. Team Toronto’s first aspiration was to learn more about sustainability, Indigenous food practices, and how all the different areas of planetary health link together. Second, was to set goals that would lead to increased plant-based meal options and reduce food-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions through red meat reductions on patient menus. The Team’s third aspiration was to contribute to the organization’s goal to move towards Truth and Reconciliation and include Indigenous food practices as an arm of menu planning.
“I have learned that it is possible to bring planetary health initiatives to hospital food services and provide for increased nutrition to our patients while contributing to sustainability. It takes quite a bit of effort to change mindsets and the most important thing is to try and make attempts. Sometimes things didn’t go as expected at the beginning, however they worked out in the end through persistence and keeping our goals at the forefront. Some outcomes may not be as large as expected but the experience has taught me that small changes matter.”
Donna Kwan, Unity Health
Meet Team Toronto
Unity Health Toronto is one of Canada’s largest Catholic health care networks serving patients, residents, and clients across the full spectrum of care. This includes primary care, secondary community care, tertiary and quaternary care services to post-acute through rehabilitation, palliative care and long-term care, while investing in world-class research and education. Unity Health Toronto’s three hospital sites have a range of culturally appropriate programs, services, and supports for Indigenous patients and their family members or caregivers as they move through their care journey. These are facilitated by the Office of Indigenous Wellness, Reconciliation, and Partnerships (OIWRP) and its Wellness team.
Mohawk Medbuy is a national, not-for-profit, shared services organization trusted by hundreds of Canadian hospitals and health care providers to drive value, efficiencies, and cost savings on the supplies and services they use. MEALsource is Mohawk Medbuy’s food and nutrition procurement service, representing the purchasing interests of hospitals, long-term care facilities, complex continuing care facilities, mental health/addiction treatment centres, and more throughout Canada. With 60 MEALsource Members throughout the country, the MEALsource Program offers solutions that help hospitals and other public sector facilities reduce the climate impact of the food they purchase and serve. In partnership with Nourish, Mohawk Medbuy is the first shared services organization in Canada to support the Coolfood Pledge.