The CFFO Commentary: Ontario Reintroduces the Local Food Act

by Nathan Stevens

This week, the Provincial government introduced the Local Food Act, 2013. This act has the potential to be a positive opportunity for government to lead the way on local food. It also represents an opportunity for farmers in Ontario to supply Ontario’s public bodies with local food.

The Act has three simple purposes. The first is to foster successful and resilient local food economies and systems throughout Ontario. The second is to increase awareness of local food in Ontario, including the diversity of local food. The third is to encourage the development of new markets for local food.

The Local Food Act will focus primarily on enabling the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food to establish local food targets for a wide array of publicly-funded institutions. Targets and goals can be set, in consultation with organizations that have an interest in the particular goal or target that is being considered. Every three years a report is to be prepared that assesses the progress being made on achieving the local food goals and targets.

The scope of the Act allows for a selection of which foods are included in a target, which means that the quantitative targets can also have qualitative implications. This will allow government to prioritize certain food types over others if it chooses to do so, based on public concerns. For example, it could set a target for fruits and vegetables in public institutions, but not for other food groups.

Unfortunately, there is no contingency for dealing with price gaps between what an institution can afford and what a farmer needs to be profitable. This means that some targets may be very difficult to achieve for public institutions, especially in an era of tight fiscal situations for both governments and public institutions. If targets must be met, then institutions will be forced to reduce service in other areas.

The Local Food Act has the potential to turn our public institutions into champions of the local food movement. This, in turn, has the potential to benefit many Ontario producers that are focused on producing food for consumers close to home.

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by Maureen Temme on April 2, 2013 at 5:04am: Hi Nathan,

Could you locate and find a link to the Ontario Food Act, new version, and add it to your blog?

Thanks for the post,

Maureen

RSS

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Saskatchewan produced record crop in 2025

Saskatchewan produced a record 41.9 million tonnes of grains and oilseeds in 2025, up 13.7 per cent from the previous year, the agriculture ministry said Dec. 19. The record is also 24.1 per cent above the five-year average. Agriculture minister David Marit said resilient and innovative producers were able to overcome challenges such as drought to grow this amount. Records were set for canola production, at 12.2 million tonnes, and lentils at 2.9 million tonnes. By volume for other crops, the province’s producers grew 12.7 million tonnes of spring wheat, 5.4 million tonnes of durum, 3.5 million tonnes of barley, and 1.8 million tonnes each of dry peas and oats. The ministry said Saskatchewan saw significant production growth in lentils, up 37 per cent, canola 16.7 per cent, barley 16 per cent, durum 8.5 percent and spring wheat 5.3 per cent. The estimates provided by Statistics Canada are based on a post-harvest survey of 7,198 farmers from Oct. 3 to Nov. 6. The province has a ta

Canadians called slow to embrace biofuel policy

Canadians farmers have had a hard time embracing biofuel policy the same way that producers south of the border have, says Shaun Haney, founder of RealAgriculture. He told the MNP Ag Connections Conference in Medicine Hat in November that as Canada continues to struggle to get its agriculture commodities into China, a shift of outlook is needed. At one time, scientists, agronomists and growers were extremely worried clubroot would spread across the Prairies and devastate Canada’s canola industry. “Canadian farmers have a hard time totally getting their head around and supporting it because people will often say, ‘I want the government out of stuff, I don’t want industrial policy, I don’t want nation building. We can’t create demand through government policy’,” he said. “But, that is exactly what the (Renewable Fuel Standard) is in the Untied States.” The U.S. sees 40 to 45 per cent of its corn crop going into ethanol, from which Canada has benefited. While Canada continues to focu

Team Alberta Crops Breakfast – Through the Eyes of an Intern

As the new communications intern at Alberta Canola, the Team Alberta Crops breakfast was my first time at an agriculture policy event. I come from an urban background with limited exposure to farming. Insights from presenters Milt Poirier, from QGI Consulting, and Neil Blue, a provincial Crop Market Analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, fundamentally changed my understanding of the agricultural industry. I no longer see Canadian agriculture as simply the production of farm products. Instead, I now view farming in the context of globally interconnected systems. These systems encompass the inputs that farmers rely on, the production processes, and the networks of processing and logistics. All of these systems are further shaped by external forces, including national and provincial policies, international trade rules, climate patterns, and technological innovations. Global Competition and Climate Challenge From Neil Blue’s talk, I learned that agriculture is a competit

The Future of Agriculture is Collaborative: A Vision for Stronger Partnerships

Taking on the role of Western Product Specialist at FP Genetics has been an exhilarating journey thus far. As someone passionate about agriculture since childhood, I’m excited to be part of an industry that combines science, relationships, and practical problem-solving. My primary focus will be to understand the connections between farmers, retailers, and the crops we nurture together. In my early days here, I dove into the fascinating world of epigenetics to uncover the secrets of how genetic traits impact plant performance. Each seed carries a narrative shaped by environmental factors and stress, and I’m dedicated to helping farmers understand their choices and the potential they hold. Working closely with Colin and Colette, my Saskatchewan and Alberta territory managers, has been both educational and transformative. We collaborate to first understand and then bridge the gap between our products and the retailers we support. Each retailer presents unique challenges and opportuniti

Women Farmers Drive Growth in Canadian Agriculture

Women are taking the reins in Canadian agriculture like never before. Statistics Canada reports nearly 90,000 female farm operators nationwide—up from 80,000 in 2021.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service