This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
Known for its generous culinary scene, the Montreal metropolis is also becoming a place to live and a tourist destination where food and gastronomy shine as much for their creativity as for their sustainable side.
When viewed from afar, Montreal looks like many other cities in North America. As elsewhere, we encounter urban sprawl, excess concrete, heat islands, road traffic and the density of housing. But we also see the mushrooming of green spaces, bike paths, urban gardens and eco-responsible initiatives.
Because Montreal is changing and its citizens, like its visitors, are increasingly aware of the local and environmental values of what they consume, the municipality has decided to make this metropolis a model in terms of eco-food. In May 2022, it joined the C40 Good Food Cities Declaration, with the aim of promoting healthier eating, reducing food waste and reducing gas emissions from food by 60%. It has also banned, since March 28, a good part of single-use plastics from the food industry, and has just joined the ranks of the World Council for Sustainable Tourism.
Montreal’s efforts to distinguish itself as a sustainable gastronomic capital have begun to bear fruit, since it was named, in the fall of 2022, the most sustainable destination in North America – and the third in the world, all the same ! — by the Global Destination Sustainability Index. But such results are not built on municipal policies alone. Montreal is indeed full of players who have been active for years in view of this objective.
Towards a conscious gastronomy
What is sustainable gastronomy in an urban context? Aurélie de Blois, spokesperson for the Montreal Office of Gastronomy (OMG), created by Tourisme Montreal, answers us: “This principle includes the fight against food waste, the reduction of the carbon footprint, short circuits, as well as a promotion of trades in this industry. »
The OMG therefore works together with professionals — producers, processors, craftsmen, restaurateurs — in the metropolis to structure their actions with a view to encouraging the development of gastronomy that is both regenerative and economically profitable.
“In this sense, she explains, our collaboration with Arrivage, a platform that puts food producers/artisans in direct contact with businesses or establishments without intermediaries, is a good example of promoting short circuits. The day All on the same plate, which we held on 1er November 2022, also brought together the entire industry to mobilize, inspire and stimulate structuring projects “from farm to fork”. »
We can add to these initiatives that, in February, of a first 100% Montreal gourmet box, containing all kinds of products designed and prepared on the island, such as a spread from the Rescapés range made from unsold fruit in grocery stores , or a poutine sauce made by Les 400 pieds de champignon, a mushroom farm in the city. “We are recognized in Montreal for our smoked meat, our bagels and our gourmet festivals (more than 40). But there are so many other treasures to discover! exclaims the spokesperson.
Montreal’s urban agriculture
The Montreal metropolis has many restaurants with eco-responsible practices. At Super Qualité, take-out meals are ordered in metal containers. At Candide, 4,000 liters of canned food are prepared to avoid imports in winter. At the Green Panther, discounts are given to customers who bring their own containers. Examples of the sort abound.
It is less well known, however, that Montreal has more than 50 agricultural enterprises, 111 hop farms, 48 chicken coops and 224 apiaries. The Centrale Agricole cooperative alone brings together 18 companies, including a rooftop vineyard, an edible insect farm, a cider house, one of whose vintages is made from fruits gleaned in town, a vegetable seed company… and all of it first urban fish producer in Quebec, Opercule.
This latest project, born in 2017 at the instigation of Nicolas Paquin and David Dupaul-Chicoine, then aquaculture students in Gaspésie, is very intriguing. Apart from the fact that fish farming does not always enjoy an excellent image in terms of quality and hygiene, particularly in Asia, one would expect a business of this type to see the light of day more near a watercourse than in the basement of an urban installation.
“We did not choose Montreal by chance, however, indicates Nicolas Paquin. The water there contains less phosphorus than in the region; we only have to take the chlorine from it to make it perfectly suitable for fish. This central element, combined with the attractive rental cost of the Centrale agricole, as well as the possibility of delivering really fresh Arctic char to local restaurants and grocers, was decisive.
The two entrepreneurs also endowed their concept with an environmental and sustainable approach thanks to a closed circuit system using 100 to 200 times less water than normal. “We recover approximately 99.8% of the water used and treat it with several biological and UV filters. We also pay attention to anything that could prevent us from raising fish in an ecological way. Our Yukon fish eggs are disease-free, hygiene is strict in our facilities, water quality is closely monitored,” explains Mr. Paquin.
Opercule’s current production capacity is 500 kg per week, which allows it to supply businesses in several Montreal neighborhoods with fish killed the same day they are sold to avoid any form of waste. “We will be able to increase this production when the clientele, which still consumes 95% of imported fish, will be there”, adds the fish farmer, who firmly believes in the promising future of urban agriculture and, more generally, of sustainable gastronomy in Montreal. A fascinating eco-citizen movement to follow.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.