Food hub, Good Food Box, food strategy, bio-digester … these are just some of the buzzwords regularly heard at meetings of the Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council (GSFPC).
The GSFPC is a group of concerned community members working together to implement the recommendations set out in the 2004 City of Greater Sudbury Food Charter. Formed in 2013, the GSFPC has members that reflect the diversity of the food system.
More than 30 years ago, the first food policy council began in Knoxville, Tenn., when a group of food activists came together to address their concerns with how food was being grown, processed and distributed in their community. Food policy councils are now found across North America and play an important role in networking, educating, identifying food assets and offering solutions to issues in the food system.
Today, the GSFPC envisions a Greater Sudbury where all residents have access to adequate, affordable, safe, nutritious and culturally acceptable food; where there is a financially viable, equitable, environmentally sustainable food system; and area citizens are food literate.
Here’s how the GSFPC is working towards this vision.
Liaising and Collaborating: The GSFPC connects people from across the food system to create synergies among food programs and initiatives.
The GSFPC has hosted a number of public events including a lunchtime meet-and-greet in February 2015. Participants heard the latest news from organizations like the Eat Local Sudbury Co-operative, the Community Garden Network, the Sudbury Beekeepers and the Centre de Santé Communautaire.
Influencing Policy: The GSFPC evaluates and recommends policy changes. For example, when the GSFPC provided feedback during the City of Greater Sudbury Official Plan Review process.
For 2015, the GSFPC identified six priority areas.
- Increasing access to healthy food for all Sudburians by exploring opportunities such as healthy options in corner stores
- Attracting and mentoring new farmers through engaging regional partners.
- Creating a food strategy for Sudbury. The GSFPC is working with the Social Planning Council of Sudbury to develop a framework for a Greater Sudbury Food Strategy. A food strategy is a tool used by communities to meet social, environmental and economic goals. Food strategies take a community-led approach to define issues and create solutions.
- Supporting the development of a regional local food distribution hub as proposed by the Eat Local Sudbury Co-operative and partners.
- Encouraging the development and implementation of local food procurement policies by municipal and other public institutions.
- Reviewing municipal signage bylaws to ensure they are supportive of farm-gate sales.
If you are interested in learning more about food system innovations please register for the provincial Bring Food Home conference that will be happening Nov. 20-22 in Sudbury. For more information visit BringFoodHome.com.
Please consider adding your own food buzzwords to our food lexicon by joining our next meeting. All meetings are open to the public and occur the third Tuesday of the month from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Tom Davies Square.
Be part of creating a sustainable food culture in Greater Sudbury. Contact the GSFPC at [email protected], visit our website, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
ReThinking Green is produced by ReThink Green, a local non-profit organization promoting environmental action, policies and networking in the Greater Sudbury area.
