Food vouchers to improve access to fresh, healthy, local food in Quebec
In continuous operation since 2020, Carte Proximité is the first food voucher program on a plastic card in Canada, enabling a dignified experience, significant scaling, and real-time data analysis.
Through the Carte Proximité, participants receive a monthly amount deposited directly onto their card, which varies according to household size. These households can shop at accredited local food stores that are committed to sourcing from local-based supply chains. The aim of the project is twofold: to improve access to fresh, healthy, local food for people experiencing food insecurity, and to promote short-circuit sourcing and the local economy.
Visit carteproximite.org for all the practical information on how to use your card!
How to be part of the Carte Proximité?
Registration for the seasonal program takes place in April with participating organizations. Find which organizations are part of the program near you and contact them directly for more information.
- Receive a Carte Proximité – The cards are distributed to households in vulnerable situations via community organizations in participating sectors. Visit the Carte Proximité website to see the list of organizations distributing the cards. We recommend that you contact the nearest participating organization to you in early April in preparation for the seasonal program (Program running from July 1st to October 31st). The period to signal your interest for the 2026 season program is now closed.
- Accept the Carte Proximité at your market – Contact us to find out about our selection criteria and to begin the partnership process.
- Make a donation – Support the project directly and give more people access to the Carte Proximité! At the same time, you’re helping to build a resilient local food system by supporting your local markets and ensuring that local farmers can sell part of their produce at a fair price.
Why set up a food voucher program?
Born of collaboration between a charitable organization and a public market, the Carte Proximité was launched by Carrefour Solidaire in the midst of the 2020 pandemic. As an innovative food voucher program, it has two objectives: to improve access to food for people experiencing food insecurity, and to encourage local sourcing by program partner merchants.
Proudly supported by the community sector in prioritizing household needs in the program’s design, the Carte Proximité also has a series of positive impacts on their health and well-being: from reduced stress to improved ability to manage chronic illness.
“The Carte Proximité has enabled me to buy things I couldn’t afford, to try local products I didn’t know about, and it’s helped me, because my mental health has improved a lot: I know that every month I’ll be able to buy products and foods I like.”
– A program participant
“The fact that I dare to leave home to go to the market, talk to caring, attentive people, the friendliness of the place, and pay with the Carte Proximité without feeling judgement and the pride of bringing home such good produce for my children and eating as a family, it makes us proud and it’s healthy for both body and mind, thank you.”
– A program participant
Since its launch, innovation and continuous improvement have been at the heart of the program. The Carte Proximité team works with researchers to deepen its learning and implements evaluation tools to guide the program’s evolution. Its lessons and tools are shared openly to support organizations and groups interested in experimenting with food voucher in their territory.
The Carte Proximité program is managed on Tomat, a transactional web platform for managing food coupon programs, powered by Collectif Récolte.
For more information, read the results and reports from previous seasons.
What are the Benefits for the Partner Organizations to the Carte Proximité?
Carte Proximité has enabled organizations to:
- Strengthen their mission;
- Offer more support services to their members;
- Offer a better response their members’ needs.
For the markets, it allowed them to:
- Better reach their target populations;
- Source more local food;
- Increase their sales;
- Increase traffic and visibility.
“It gives us the opportunity to fulfill our mandate. The partnership of our produce market with Carte Proximité really allows us to reach our target people and fulfill our mission.”
– A partner market organization