LCF Supports Health and Sustainability Projects with Collaborative Impacts
LCF Supports Health and Sustainability Projects with Collaborative Impacts
The late Isabel Hodgkinson.
Fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha not only add nutrients to our diet, but are also sources of live bacteria contributing to the maintenance of a healthy digestive system. While these benefits are broadly understood, more practical studies examining their effects on quality-of-life and disease prevention are needed to integrate their consumption as part of patient-care.
Thanks to the support of a $40,000 grant from the Isabel Hodgkinson Fund, a local collaborative will now be able to evaluate the impact of fermented foods and beverages on digestive health and quality of life. The study will involve long-term care residents at Parkwood Hospital’s Veterans Care Program.
London’s Fermented Foods Project started with a small industry-academic collaboration grant between Western University and Booch Organic Kombucha provided by Ontario Centres of Excellence. Later, the partnership was enhanced through the “Building Bridges: Pathways to Building Research Capacity and Discovery through Collaboration” initiative at Lawson Health Research Institute (LHRI) with strategic representation from partners in industrial, agricultural, academic, and health sectors.
Their pilot project will study the effects of certain fermented foods, including products supplied by local producers such as Nuts for Cheese and Booch Organic Kombucha. What’s game-changing about this project is that this will be the first health impact study testing the benefits of these fermented foods on our health.
“Popularity of fermented foods is increasing,” says Colleen O’Connor study lead and Associate Professor, Brescia University “Understanding the impact of these foods on digestive health and bowel habits in a small sub-set of our community will potentially reflect outcomes in the general population.”
The late Isabel Hodgkinson began her Field of Interest Fund with a bequest, trusting LCF to support the causes she cherished the most on her behalf. While her passion for research and education is reflected in her granting, she also had a deep affinity for nature and the environment. While the lion’s share of her fund supports medical research, the breadth of LCF’s granting means that an impact in one area has a ripple effect on another.
(Pictured left to right) Marianne Griffith, Sustainability Manager at Green Economy London, Vanessa Dolishny, Manager of Communications at London Community Foundation, Jeff Pastorius, owner of On the Move Organics, and Shannon Kamins, owner of Booch Organic Kombucha in front of London Brewing Coop.
“Funding from LCF and the Isabel Hodgkinson Fund has been instrumental in supporting the continuum of the project,” says Jeff van Heumen, Business Development and Commercialization Manager with OCE. “From understanding the benefits of fermented foods, to developing new products, and finally, establishing London as a fermented foods hub.”
The impact of LCF’s support has been further amplified with a $5000 grant to Green Economy London, a 2018 Community Vitality Grant recipient, for their recently launched “Green Project Grant” program. This new program will provide support to two local businesses who have made commitments to sustainability and emission reduction. Booch Organic Kombucha is one of the two inaugural recipients, allowing them to install a specialized pump that will save them roughly 3000L of wasted product a year, reducing their carbon footprint by close to 5 tonnes a year.
Collaboration is a vital driver of change. Green Economy London and London’s Fermented Foods Project are just two examples of the partnerships LCF fosters through its granting.
Learn more about our collective impact.