Published on November 17, 2025
An article produced in collaboration with the Regroupement québécois des résidences pour aînés (RQRA), a partner of Aliments du Québec.
What if local sourcing became a true source of everyday pride in seniors’ residences? With the Aliments du Québec au menu – Institution program, more and more establishments are bringing local products to the plate, much to the delight of residents.
Created in 2016 in collaboration with Équiterre, the program supports institutions that wish to begin a shift toward local purchasing. Today, more than 800 institutions from all sectors are recognized—from early childhood centres to hospitals, including seniors’ residences.
Driven by a passionate team with deep expertise in local sourcing, Aliments du Québec au menu relies on over 29,000 verified Aliments du Québec products. In addition to serving as one of the levers of the Stratégie nationale d’achat d’aliments québécois (SNAAQ) of the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ)—which aims to increase the share of Québec foods in public institutions—the program also enables both public and private member institutions to showcase and promote their local purchasing efforts.
Joining the program means benefiting from personalized support, building connections with producers and processors, discovering products tailored to the HRI sector, and taking part in exclusive events such as the Rendez-vous des institutions, held every spring.
Every September, during harvest season, all institutional establishments across Québec are invited to celebrate Les institutions mangent local!, an initiative developed as part of the Aliments du Québec au menu program. While the event is particularly popular among early childhood education services and schools, it also attracts healthcare facilities, workplaces, and seniors’ residences (RPA). During the most recent edition in September 2025, more than 400 institutions took part to introduce users to the pleasure of eating Québec-grown foods.
Among the participating organizations, Le bon goût frais des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, a member of the Regroupement des tables de concertation bioalimentaire du Québec (RTCBQ), visited all seniors’ residences across the archipelago. The activities combined games, discovery, and interaction: residents tested their knowledge of local foods, shared experiences with home gardening, took part in a playful video featuring temporary tattoos representing Québec foods, and tackled the challenge of a mystery box filled with “ugly” or lesser-known vegetables to guess.
“Seniors’ residences are always very happy to welcome us, and the residents were delighted to participate,” says the organizer. These initiatives show that the joy of eating local can be experienced at any age, while fostering curiosity, sharing, and discovery.
Visit to seniors’ residences by Le bon goût frais des Îles-de-la-Madeleine during the Les institutions mangent local! event in September 2025.
Photo credit: MarieMarine Photographie
Sourcing locally is much more than a purchasing decision: it supports local producers, stimulates Québec’s economy, and offers residents meals filled with meaning, freshness, and pride. With Aliments du Québec au menu, every bite pays tribute to Québec foods and to those who grow and transform them.
