PEMBROKE – Ontario’s Government for the People is reducing red tape and opening the door for local food in the broader public sector, to make it easier for organizations like colleges, universities, hospitals and municipalities to serve local food.
John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, congratulated MPP Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, on a recent announcement to help local food businesses across the province flourish through establishing a new goal under Local Food Act, 2013.
“Ontario’s farmers work hard to produce food every day of the year,” said MPP Yakabuski. “We are committed to supporting every possible opportunity that will help their businesses grow.”
Marshall Buchanan, president of the Renfrew County National Farmers Union, said, “It is great to see the provincial government promoting the Local Food Act.”
Small and medium-sized farms will welcome more support to sell the food they grow or process to local public sector cafeterias and restaurants, he said. With a new focus on setting targets for local food purchasing, the public can ask how much of an institution’s menu is locally sourced.
“However, small farmers may not be ready to sell to public sector institutions,” Mr. Buchanan said. “Producers may need more food safety training and certifications, such as HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), to be able to supply to public sector institutions.”
Farmers should research the government-led webinars to find out what is needed to become a local food vendor.
Minister Hardeman added, “For consumers, local food is at the heart of our agri-food industry. Opening the door to the broader public sector for local food procurement is part of our government’s plan to strengthen Ontario’s local food economy.”
MPP Hardeman announced a number of tools that can help farmers, food distributors and public sector organizations put more Ontario food on our plates. The government is taking several steps to support this goal, including:
* Launching a series of new case study videos, featuring best practice advice from different broader public sector organizations
* Creating a new, interactive, local food hubs map that connects local food businesses to potential new markets
* Providing easy-to-use tracking tools to measure procurement so organizations can set their own goals to increase their use of local food and track their success
* Awarding public sector institutions that achieve their local food targets with certificates of recognition from the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
* Making it easier to use the Foodland Ontario logo to promote local food
* Offering government-led how-to webinars for agri-businesses wanting to become a local food vendor
* Continuing to promote local Ontario food through the Foodland Ontario program
* Looking at options to enhance the farmers market as part of its review of the Ontario Food Terminal
* Ongoing consultation with farmers, distributors and the broader public sector on red tape barriers in the local food economy.
An important part of the Local Food Act, 2013 is increasing awareness for Ontario food and beverages. This includes celebrating public sector organizations that are increasingly using local food to serve their employees, students and patients. The government will recognize and celebrate public sector organizations that set and achieve their own local food targets.
