(Laval) Abundant last-minute harvests, ugly vegetables, too big or too small: farmers often have surpluses that they struggle to sell. In Laval, farms are taking part in the “operation last chance” pilot project, offering their unsold produce at a friendly price to CPEs, hospitals or community groups.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Luqman Sow parks his truck in front of the Serres Michel Lacroix garage. In the distance, a tractor drives slowly towards him. The scene is a little crazy. The shovel is overflowing with gigantic bunches of kale.
“It can’t get any cooler than that, unless you kneel down directly in the field and eat them,” laughs farmer Andrée Lacroix as she jumps out of the vehicle.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
A tractor shovel full of kale, at Serres Michel Lacroix
She points to giant cabbage boxes on the ground. “That’s all yours, my dear Luqman!” »
Under a radiant November sun, the young 27-year-old delivery man’s mission is to harvest agricultural surpluses from four Laval farms and deliver them to a very long list of childcare centers, grocery stores, restaurants and community groups. In all, 23 orders were placed that day.
This pilot project is funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec to the tune of $140,000. It was designed by the Laval Regional Council for the Environment (CRÉ) in partnership with the local supply platform Arrivage. This start-up digital specializes in the sale of agri-food products without intermediaries.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Andrée Lacroix and her son Gabriel, from Serres Michel Lacroix
“It meets a need,” points out Andrée Lacroix. “Harvests are very difficult to predict. You can’t get close to cabbage, it’s practically impossible. »
“It’s interesting because we call and it’s put on the site which is connected with 200 groups. It’s a sprawling network, it’s quite impressive. Every week we sell stock,” she says as she carries kale plants so big they look like umbrellas.
No large sign would accept such a format, because it is impossible to place in a display. Same thing for his kohlrabi which are the size of small balloons. “Eatable, but not salable”, she summarizes.
Another participating farmer, Mathieu Forget, says that when contacted he was initially reluctant.
“It’s a workload for us to give away stock. Honestly, it’s easier to pick it up and put it back in the field or send it to the compost. The fact that they pay a little bit, it balances out the production costs and that’s interesting. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Mathieu Forget, from Ferme BM Forget inc.
He is now delighted to have new outlets. “It’s fun to have an easy way out, because we don’t have time to deal with it […] As small producers, it’s the supply chain that we are not able to manage. »
Healthy foods for toddlers
Filled to the ceiling, the truck leaves the agricultural zone of Laval. He parks in front of the CPE Fleurs de lune located in a residential area of the island.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Luqman Sow, in his truck full of agricultural surpluses
The director of the CPE, Caroline Paquette, and the cook, Élisabeth Blais, push “oh! » and « wow! when Luqman Sow walks into the kitchen, arms full.
“We have made our fourth order and we are really satisfied,” says Mme Paquette, who wants his CPE to become sustainable. “As much for the quality as for the quantity of the products. And the price ! It’s really affordable. We must not forget that we, as NPOs, are public funds. »
We have all the advantages: we eat local, it costs less, and on top of that, we introduce children to seasonal foods.
Caroline Paquette, director of the CPE Fleurs de lune
In addition to the pilot project, Luqman Sow works as a delivery man for the Transformerie, an organization that fights against food waste by transforming, for example, unsold fruit from grocery stores into jam.
“I’m really at the forefront of waste, actually. We realize that our relationship with food will have to really change because it doesn’t work anymore,” says the man who says he is convinced by the relevance of short circuits in food.
Abundance, people are so used to it, they take it for granted. Before, when people cultivated themselves, they must have valued it more.
Luqman Sow
Ultra local
The truck is heading for Montreal. After a few stops in “zero waste” grocery stores, destination the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ).
Karine Beauchamp, executive chef of the ITHQ restaurant, arrives at the landing dock. Some of the foods she ordered will end up on the Montreal table menu. “It’s still cool to say that it didn’t even go 10 kilometers. We are ultra-local! »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Karine Beauchamp, executive chef of the ITHQ restaurant, and Luqman Sow
Deliveries will continue once a week until the end of November. “Of course, at the ITHQ, it’s part of our mission to promote Quebec products. We also want to set an example in our practices. […] Even with ordinary mortals, it could be a great alternative for those who want to save money and who are concerned about eco-responsibility. »
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Too ugly, too big or too small: many vegetables are thrown away if they don’t meet grocery store standards.