This report is timely with the announcement of the 2017 Federal Budget which prioritizes procurement opportunities for small vendors as a way to foster innovation and support the growth of Canadian businesses, and the Barton Report which has identified agriculture as a key growth sector.

“We need to change our narrow understanding of “best value” from buying food based only on lowest price, and to instead create a broader understanding of value that includes where food was sourced, how it was grown, and how it is served to people where they go to learn, heal, and work everyday.” Jennifer Reynolds, Institutional Food Program Manager, Food Secure Canada

We cannot afford any longer to overlook the opportunity to leverage the food purchasing power of schools, hospitals and campuses to stimulate innovation and long-term growth of the Canadian economy, and benefit our health. Although national data has not been compiled, as a benchmark the Greenbelt Fund estimates that public sector spend on food was .

“Often there are cost-neutral ways to start purchasing local and sustainable food. This can include measures to cut waste, purchase directly from farmers and fishers, or simply identify local products in existing supply chains.” Beth Hunter, Program Director, J.W. McConnell Family Foundation

In particular, local, sustainable food purchasing can help healthcare institutions more fully achieve their missions. Growing rates of diet-related disease are putting increasing pressure on health care and yet there is often very little fresh, local, sustainable food available in healthcare facilities for patients, families or staff.

Building on these lessons and the realization of the significant needs and opportunities to reconnect food and health care, was created. A national group of innovators from Gander to Haida Gwaii have come together to build a future where the impact of food on health is understood and valued. To learn more about Nourish, the innovators and their projects visit , sign-up for the newsletter, and follow .

In collaboration with ,Ěý, and , this project renewed the work on food costing in Northern Canada so that food costing numbers accurately reflect the reliance on traditional / country foods to meet food needs. Food costing involves gathering the prices of different foods to assess the cost of eating a basic healthy diet. This work will support food sovereignty activism in Northern Canada towards the development of better and more realistic food policies.

This journal article reviews the challenges of assessing food environments in northern and remote communities. Read the full article by clicking on the image below.

]]> /communityfirst/2015/cfices-peter-andree-to-speak-at-dalhousie-conference-on-gmos-and-poverty/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cfices-peter-andree-to-speak-at-dalhousie-conference-on-gmos-and-poverty Thu, 24 Sep 2015 11:56:58 +0000 http://carleton.ca/communityfirst/?p=1565 On Friday October 2nd, CFICE’s Principal Investigator Peter Andree will be participating in a discussion titled ““. This conversation will explore the emerging debate regarding the role of GM technology in Canada’s work to assist developing countries with achieving food security platforms, and will specifically analyze the potential need for explicit inclusion of GM technology use in DFATD’s food security strategy.

For more information about the conference and this presentation, please visit the .

Terry Audla, Inuit leader and President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), shares a northern  perspective on food security in this followed by a and answer period.

Cathleen Kneen,ĚýEditor, The Ram’s Horn and Chair, Just Food Ottawa shares her perspective on  followed by a.

Peter AndrĂ©e, Associate Professor of Political Science, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University, shares his perspective on followed by a .

Diana Bronson, Executive Director, Food Secure Canada provides on food security followed by a brief .

Additional Resources

Yordy, Chris. Want amid plenty. 

Community Academic Collaborative: (webinar).

An outcome of the panel discussion was a nation wide set of webinars, one in English, one in French where the UN  Special Rapporteur on Food Security, , shared his findings regarding Food Security in Canada sponsored by .  Over 1000 individuals in over 50 communities in Canada heard his report then followed with a conversation on what that meant for local action thereby erasing the global local distance.