OFA: National food policy consults underway

By Bruce Buttar, Director, Ontario Federation of Agriculture

Canada needs a national food policy. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), together with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has long been focused on creating a vision for the future of food in Canada. A unified food policy dedicated to food security, accessibility and sustainability is long overdue and now, with a directive from Prime Minister Trudeau in his 2015 mandate letter to Minister MacAulay, the federal government is launching a comprehensive consultation to create A Food Policy for Canada.

Work has already begun on the policy, gathering input from Canadians and representatives along the food chain with an online survey and an upcoming consultation Food Summit in June, all organized by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The government is gathering input and views on the entire food chain, focusing on areas related to increasing access to affordable food, improving health and food safety, conserving our soil, water, and air and growing more high quality food.

OFA will be participating in all consultations on the development of A Food Policy for Canada. We’ll be bringing our perspective on what Canada needs in a food policy, including nine objectives set out in the CFA’s National Food Strategy® to secure a sustainable food future for Canada. The National Food Strategy was developed with input from the food industry and government and was released in 2011.

Every part of the food value chain needs to be accounted for in a national policy – beginning with farmers and ranchers who produce the food across Canada. OFA, together with CFA, will ensure our primary producers are represented in every aspect of the consultation process. We encourage everyone to participate in the online survey, now available at www.canada.ca/food-policy.

We’re fortunate to have one of the most safe, secure and abundant food supplies in Canada. OFA expects that careful planning and the appropriate policies can help us sustain our food system and we look forward to being part of the development of A Food Policy for Canada.

Source: OFA