Founded in 1990, the Quebec Collective Kitchens Association is a non-profit organisation aimed at the promotion and consolidation of emerging collective kitchens in Quebec. The values promoted by the collective kitchens include self-sufficiency, empowerment, dignity, democracy and social justice.

What is a collective kitchen?

It’s a group of 4 or 5 people who pool their time, money and abilities in order to come up with healthy, delicious and money-saving dishes that they then take home to their families.Participants plan recipes together, make up grocery lists and go shopping. Then they collectively prepare their meals.Each participant’s contribution generally comes to around $1 per portion.Everything is done in a take-charge atmosphere seasoned with pride, dignity and humour.

Food autonomy

Over the years, the term food safety became carrier of actions which do not correspond to the specificity of the values of our Base of political unit, in particular from the point of view of the care, the dignity and the social justice. Furthermore, the notion of food safety is often merged with the food harmlessness, which constitutes a single aspect of this one. For the RCCQ, he became essential to register our action in a vision which looks like us and which reflects more our values. So, we chose to use the term food Autonomy to place our mink and better characterize our action. The RCCQ defends the vision of the food Autonomy. The collective kitchens join a joint representation aiming at the achievement of the food Autonomy.

Definition of the food Autonomy :

• It is the access any time and in the long term to a self-important daily quantity of food, to a reasonable cost.

• It is the power to choose, in any dignity and by having access to a clear and reliable information, a healthy diet, varied and healthy.

• It acquires itself by the action collective and united to take care individually and collectively, for the greater welfare of a community, in a spirit of sustainable development.

• It facilitates the environmental protection, the fair trade, the responsible consumption and aims at a sustainable balance between the satisfaction of the present needs and those of the future generations.

The RCCQ considers that the other alternative practices join a joint representation aiming at the achievement of the food Autonomy: my ecological farm, the groups of purchases, the collective gardens and Good box, Good food, etc.