Food seems to be on everybody’s mind. Consumers are becoming more interested in where their food comes from, and the safety and security of our food supply.
As farmers we know how fortunate Canada is to have safe, nutritious and inexpensive food. And we are just as interested as our urban neighbours about the security of the Canadian food system.
Canada does not currently have a long-term vision for the agriculture and food sector. That’s why the OFA is working closely with the Canadian Federation of Agriculture to develop and implement the National Food Strategy – a long term strategy to ensure a safe supply of Canadian food for future generations.
Canadian farmers are in the business of succession planning on our own farms, so we know just how important it is to protect and preserve our entire food industry – not only for the next generation of farmers…but for consumers too. To date, the National Food Strategy has been presented to a number of provincial and federal politicians, government policy advisors and industry influencers. Food and the development of a long-term strategy for food system sustainability must now extend beyond agriculture into several government ministries because a secure food system affects and is affected by so many public policy considerations.
The OFA is working diligently to help all provincial ministries understand the importance of the National Food Strategy and are asking them for their support in sustaining Canada’s food supply. The recent Open for Business initiative addressing regulatory reform in Ontario has demonstrated how positive change can take place efficiently when industry and government work together with a common purpose. The National Food Strategy is another initiative where collaboration between agriculture, industry and government can address critical issues and develop positive outcomes. The new federal government now has the mandate to move ahead on decisions and issues. And there is no better time than the present to build a sustainable food supply for Canada.
The National Food Strategy establishes common goals for safe food, sustainable environmental practices, healthy meal choices for improved health, secure infrastructure, cleaner air and water and an improved food awareness and knowledge of our youth. It is a far reaching vision for our future food system and provides a guide for policies that will improve our economy, our health and our environment.
Overall, the National Food Strategy address the need for Canada to have a secure infrastructure supporting the production, processing, distribution and sale of food in Canada and abroad. And to accomplish that, one of the identified needs is for resources used as farm and food production input supplies to be readily available at sustainable prices.
OFA knows we need to develop a long-term strategy to provide citizens with the confidence that we will be able to feed ourselves and contribute to the world’s food needs in the years to come by managing our food system sustainably. And the OFA looks forward to working on this initiative with our provincial and federal governments on behalf of our 37,000 food producing members and Ontario’s 12 million consumers who enjoy the food we produce now and in the future.
Bette Jean Crews is president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.
