About Forward Food

What is the Forward Food Program?

Forward Food provides free-of-charge support and resources to food service operations to help them serve more plant-based meals successfully. We provide training, recipes, marketing support, educational sessions and more to help operations be part of the movement to build a better food system.

Our work in action

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Forward Food pledge for?

The Forward Food Pledge is an opportunity for any foodservice operation, such as college, university, K-12 school, healthcare institution, corporate cafeteria or food service management company, to set a meaningful yet achievable goal around increasing plant-based menu items and/or reducing animal product purchases. Our team then provides free of charge services and resources to support operations in reaching their goal.

What information do institutions and companies need to provide?

We ask participating operations to provide baseline data including the number of meals served per day, the number of plant-based meals served per day and the average percent of plant-based meals sales. For those tracking changes in plant-based procurement, we ask for baseline purchasing data. Additionally, every 6 months we will check in on progress and ask for menus and/or procurement data, until the Forward Food Pledge has been fulfilled.

Does it cost anything to participate?

Free of charge.

“I came into the course with some knowledge around the environmental and personal health benefits of eating more plant-based foods.  The additional information I gained was online live action instruction that really expanded my knowledge of how many plant-based ingredients are packed with protein.  The informational videos and live cooking demos from Chef Amy really helped demystify plant-based cooking and what can go with what from both a taste and a texture perspective...”

Molly CrouchSodexo Live! Corporate Office (Nov 2024)

“This is valuable experience and training for a culinary professional. Delicious and fulsome plant-based cooking is an essential skill in any cook or chef’s toolkit, and must be treated with thoughtfulness, care, and respect. This training session was a very valuable bit of practice and collaboration that will make me better at what I do and help us provide better plant-based meals to clients.” 

Jason Kennedy Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre (Nov 2024) 