The McGill Food Systems Project (MFSP) is a collaborative initiative between students, McGill Food and Dining Services, and the McGill Office of Sustainability, which utilizes student research to assess and improve the sustainability of the food systems at McGill. Currently, we are developing a database of the food sourcing practices with the intention of having this database serve as a baseline against which to compare the feasibility of more sustainable alternatives. During the fall 2009 semester we will be hosting events to engage all students, administrators and staff in the ongoing improvements to our food systems at McGill.
Having received funding from SSMU and the Generations Pact Program of the Sierra Youth Coalition, the MFSP will have conducted research over the summer of 2009 to assess the food purchasing and sourcing decisions of the major food service providers on campus such as Chartwells and Sodexo. We intend to work with professors and students to coordinate applied research projects with the intention of improving the sustainability of McGill’s food system. These efforts will contribute towards the development of sustainability standards for food at McGill, which will be formalized in a series of criteria documents. We will work to support the monitoring and effective implementation of these standards while maintaining transparency and sharing the results with the entire McGill community.
Type of project:
Projects can be of any length so long as they contribute new and insightful knowledge of McGill’s food system. For example, GIS assignments have no particular length but could be useful in mapping organic farms within a 150 mile radius of Montreal.
The project provides vast opportunity for students in terms of the types of projects that can be done. First, students could assist in our effort to conduct a campus wide food system sustainability assessment. To improve our food sourcing, we must produce criteria documents which define sustainable food standards for McGill using the pre-established baseline and by comparing the food service provider’s current practices with feasible local and/or organic alternatives. Other projects include working to create a shared vision among stakeholders knowing the barriers preventing implementation of food system sustainability, and to propose measures making the transitions towards McGill food sustainability more accessible. More specifically, a focused study on the MacDonald Campus farm and other local producers would allow us to make the connection to campus vendors and provide students with the chance to conduct further studies on “field to feast” initiatives. Curriculum and program development is also important for students to help their respective faculties determine the focus of course assignments by providing insight as to what students view as important and pressing issues.
Education/skills required from student:Upper level undergraduates and even graduate level students are preferred due to their ability to thoroughly conduct large research assignments and because of their pre-existing knowledge of on campus operations. However, motivated students in all faculties are welcome to participate as long as they are interested and motivated to improve McGill’s food operations or simply learning more about the environmental impacts of food sourcing, consumption, and waste management at our university.