taste of the food terminal 2013

Last year, Paul and I attended the first ever Fresh Fest 2012 - the first time that the Ontario Food Terminal had been opened to the public. We had such a great time that I told my family, friends and co-workers all about it so that they could check it out this year.

Renamed as the Taste of the Food Terminal (personally I liked the name Fresh Fest better - more unique and describes perfectly what the focus of the event was - fresh food!), the event was also moved to May (last year it was held in September) so we were curious what seasonal products would be available.

Quick facts about the Ontario Food Terminal (which is only open to the public this one day of the year):

• the largest wholesale fruit and produce distribution centre in Canada and the third largest in North America after New York City and Los Angeles
• consists of a Farmer's Market with 550 stalls, a 100,000 square foot cold storage area, two restaurants and 4 acres of Farmers' Market stalls
• 1,001,210 tons of produce distributed annually

fresh fest 2012 at the ontario food terminal

Yesterday, Paul and I headed out to the Ontario Food Terminal to check out the first-ever Fresh Fest event.

This was the first time that the Ontario Food Terminal had opened to the public and the aim of the event was to:

• raise funds for FoodShare Toronto, a non-profit community organization whose vision is Good Healthy Food for All. 
• raise awareness of the importance of the Ontario Food Terminal in fresh fruit and vegetable distribution
• promote the health benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables

Some Quick Facts about the Ontario Food Terminal

• opened in 1954 and is 40 acres in size
• is the only food terminal in Canada and is the third largest in North America
• the Terminal has 22 warehouse tenants, 50 office tenants, 400 Farmers’ Market tenants and over 5,000 registered wholesale buyers making use of the facility
• over 975,000 tons of produce was brought into the terminal last year which on average represents 5.3 million pounds of produce per day 
• when compared to other food terminals around the world it is the only one with a wholesale Farmers’ Market on 10 acres on the same site as the traditional warehouse facilities 
• the increasing demand for “ethnic produce” is met by either the local growers or by the importation of those vegetables