Collective kitchens in Canada: a review of the literature

Collective kitchens are community-based cooking programs in which small groups of people cook large quantities of food. They have developed over the past 20 years, and hundreds of groups have been formed across the country. However, collective kitchens described in the literature vary considerably in structure, purpose, and format. The purpose of this review is to synthesize research on this topic.

Articles and theses were collected through searches of major databases, and synthesized to improve understanding of current information, and of continuing gaps in the knowledge of collective kitchens in Canada.

The limited published research on collective kitchens suggests that social and learning benefits are associated with participation. Some indication exists that participants also find the food cooked to be high quality, culturally acceptable, and acquired in a manner that maintains personal dignity. Whether collective kitchens have an impact on food resources as a whole is unclear, as research has been limited in scale.

The role of collective kitchens in community building and empowering participants often is noted, and bears further investigation. Dietitians and nutritionists have a unique opportunity to facilitate the health promotion and food security benefits of collective kitchens.