In Fall 2009, TEA makes it easier for Torontonians who are looking for fresh cultural foods “from back home” to find retailers selling locally grown cultural food.

How? By developing the first-ever locally grown cultural food guides that identify the location of farmers, farmers’ markets and food retailers selling cultural food grown in the Greenbelt and surrounding area.

While it’s been a number of years since we published the guides, much of the information in them is still useful.

Click on the following links for more information:

• Locally-Grown Chinese Food Guide

• Locally-Grown South Asian Food Guide or Google Map

• Locally-Grown Middle Eastern Food Guide

• Locally-Grown African/Caribbean Food Guide

Why Buy Local?

When you have a choice, cooking with cultural foods grown locally helps the environment, helps local farmers and is more nutritious than buying imported food. And it helps preserve our precious agricultural land, much of it in the Greenbelt.

TEA worked closely with many community partners who helped make these guides a reality.

We would like to thank:

Chinese Canadian National Council, Toronto Chapter
Council of Agencies Serving South Asians
FarmStart
Access Alliance
Centre for Information and Community Services
Doorsteps Neighborhood Services
Rexdale CHC
South Riverdale CHC
Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office 
Toronto Public Health/Peer Nutrition Program

We also want to especially thank the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation who provided the financial resources to make these guides a reality.

Why eat Greenbelt-grown "Cultural Food"?

It’s fresh and flavourful and tastes the way you remember it tasted back home. The Greenbelt supplies an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit. Because it doesn’t need to be shipped long distances, produce can be harvested when it’s fully ripe and it tastes the way it should taste.

It protects our beautiful countryside and supports our farming neighbours. Many new Canadians moved to Toronto to enjoy the healthy, green countryside surrounding us. Buying Greenbelt-grown food directly supports local farmers and keeps our countryside healthy.

It creates local jobs for our communities. Buying Greenbelt-grown cultural food creates local jobs in agriculture and food processing. And who better to grow food from home than those who grew it back home?

It protects the environment. When you have the choice, buying Greenbelt-grown food in local markets means no airplane trips and less truck trips to deliver fresh, tasty food to our dinner plates. In contrast food from halfway around the world, creates lots of pollution getting here.