In a mouthwatering *crunch* heard all over Ottawa, 3500 elementary students bit into locally-grown fruits and vegetables on March 1, 2018.

The Great Big Crunch is an annual, Canada-wide event. In Ottawa, it is animated by the Ottawa School Food Network. The goal of the event is to get kids excited about healthy eating and local agriculture. This year, twelve schools from four different school boards were provided with fresh, organic, local snacks sourced from Savour Ottawa Farms like Barkley’s Apple Orchard and Bryson Farms.

Food preferences are set early in a child’s life. We are working with the community to improve access and availability of vegetables and fruits, and to increase children and parents’ knowledge about healthy eating. – Kimberley Steven (Healthy Kids Community Challenge Ottawa)