We took kids and parents to a Canadian Hellmann’s Blue Ribbon canola farm to learn more about where our food comes from.

Along with a celebrity chef, they learned about the importance of crop rotation, how to crush canola seeds to test when they are ready for harvest, and about the 3 main simple ingredients in the perfect jar of Hellmann’s – Canadian canola oil, eggs and vinegar.  

In 2014 Hellmann’s decided to bring real food to a popular Canadian food festival – a place known for over-the-top, fried, unhealthy food offerings – by sampling our real food recipes to hungry Exhibition attendees. With the help of a celebrity chef Hellmann’s proved real food was delicious enough to compete directly with the less than healthy options. 

Next Hellmann’s partnered with an educational field trip company, a leader in experience-based education, giving schools and other organizations in Ontario a chance to sign up for the free Hellmann’s Real Food Trips™ program held at local grocery stores. The Real Food Trips provided fun, guided, hands-on learning that is consistent with local teaching standards and Canada’s Food Guide. With help from a Registered Dietitian, our program helped kids embrace good eating habits and take them home to their families.

In 2010 we launched the Hellmann’s Real Food Grants Program to award people who were connecting kids with real food. $100,000 was awarded in the first year and based on that amazing success, grants continued in 2012 including $25,000 for a school in Red Deer, Alberta, which updated its kitchens and replaced over-processed foods.

In 2007, Hellmann’s created Urban Gardens, by converting empty parking lots into areas of workable land in five key metropolises across Canada. The land was given, free of charge, and to worthy applicants for the purposes of planting a fruit/vegetable garden. Successful applicants included a single mother living in an urban high-rise and individuals from a nearby retirement home.