Better Daycare Food Network
Better Daycare Food Network is pleased to announce the following endorsements of our petition:
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Read latest “Op Ed - Healthy diet for children belongs on daycare menu” by Karen Spector, Gary Bloch.
Read latest “Letter of Support” from Rick Smith - Executive Director, Environmental Defence.
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WHO WE ARE
We are a coalition of parents who would like to improve the quality of food in Toronto’s Municipal Daycares which care for about 3000 children. We believe that feeding natural and local foods to children will have long lasting health effects and bring benefits to society as a whole. We also think city licensing should set a higher standard for daycare food quality for other daycares as well.
OUR CONCERN
Very cheap, often poor quality processed food is a problem in our daycares. We fear the drain on tax dollars for the healthcare costs of millions of children who grow up eating this kind of unnatural, nutrient depleted and chemically treated processed food as well as the physical and psychological stress that these children may endure as a result of adverse health effects of such a diet. Excessive use of canned food, processed foods with fillers and artificial additives, meat/dairy products from animals given growth hormones, routine antibiotics and fed an artificial diet are not items that are healthy to a growing child.
OUR CURRENT GOAL
“To change the food quality, delivery and standards in Toronto Municipal Daycares for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)”
We are frustrated by the sharp contrast in the food quality between Toronto Municipal Daycares and the YMCA daycares. The YMCA feeds kids organic/natural/local foods for $ 52/day versus the city feeding much lower quality foods for $65/day (toddler fee). For preschoolers, the YMCA charges $35/day and the city charges $53/day.
The Toronto Municipal Daycares allocate only $ 2.58 per day per toddler out of the already very high fee of $ 65 per day.
We would like the City of Toronto to to use the more natural and progressive YMCA menu as the template for the 3000 kids in municipal daycares.