CANADA: Localicious by the WWF

WWF-Canada (the World Wildlife Foundation; not to be confused with the former World Wrestling Federation) is launching a new campaign to promote local and sustainable foods.

The focus of Localicious is to get Canadians to choose locally harvested foods over items that may have travelled an average of 2,000 kilometres to your plate.

Packaging, shipping and storing the faraway foods can burn up fossil fuels and create greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, argues the group.

Restaurants in Calgary — as well as Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax — have signed up to offer special menus from Oct. 2-18, showcasing the freshest, local and sustainable foods. Partial proceeds from each meal will be donated to WWF-Canada.

The list of participating restaurants in Calgary is short but impressive.

River Cafe, for example, has created a $25 three-course lunch of roasted Alberta tomato soup, Broek Farms roasted pork belly with grilled chanterelles and plum white chocolate bread pudding.

Saint Germain has a mouth-watering three-course dinner ($35-$39) featuring choices of:

• Olson’s High Country bison, raised near Pincher Creek.
• Spring Creek striploin farmed in Vegreville.
• Pumpkin risotto.
• Poached pear on Golden Acres honey from Three Hills and lavender sponge cake.

WWF-Canada has also created sustainable food buying guides for each Canadian region that you can download off their site. You can also enter a contest to win a local meal for six prepared by a personal chef at your home, cookbooks or grocery gift cards.