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Ontario Food Security Strategy- Have Your Voice Heard

On April 19, 2017, the Ontario government, through the Poverty Reduction Strategy Office, announced that they would be seeking input on the development and shaping of a Food Security Strategy.  The province is supporting access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food for everyone in Ontario.   The long-term vision of the province is be a province where every person is food secure, to support them in leading healthy and active lives”.

A Discussion Paper:  Building Ontario’s First Food Security Strategy has been released and provides more information.  The Strategy proposes 4 broad focus areas that include:

  1. Empowered communities with custom-made solutions.  Food security challenges and solutions differ across the province. Communities need tools to help mobilize solutions and supports to individuals and communities based on their needs.
  2. Integrated food initiatives that use knowledge to drive collective impact.  We recognize the need for a shared vision, clear goals, common metrics and a set of connected, mutually reinforcing activities based on the best available knowledge. We can increase food security in our province by working together towards a shared vision.
  3. Food Security is about more than food.  Income, the cost of food and other basic necessities matter. There are lots of ways to increase economic access and reduce the frequency of trading off one basic need against others at the household level.
  4. Driving innovation.  To tackle significant challenges and issues we need new ways to get to solutions. We will support, encourage and learn from creative, innovative disruptors who will help us find them.

Nourish and the Peterborough Food Action Network hosted an event, Hunger Bites: Putting Eating on the Agenda on Wednesday, May 17, 2017 to bring local voices together to inform a response on the proposed Strategy.  Thanks to everyone who attended.

Please take the opportunity to provide your thoughts before the consultation ends on May 31, 2017.  Nourish has pulled information together and made emailing a response to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Office easy by visiting http://nourishproject.ca/hunger-bites.  Please take the opportunity to have your voice heard on this important opportunity.