December 2, 1999
Promoting Health and Nutrition among British Columbians
Educating BC Consumers about their Food:
Working Towards a Safer Food Supply in BC:
Sustainable Food Production- Being Able to Feed British
Columbians Now and Forever:
Promoting Food Security for all British Columbians:
The Vancouver Food Policy Organization is a non-profit group working to promote food accessibility and food security in the Lower Mainland. When developing an agri-food policy for BC, we feel that it is extremely important for the Provincial Government to be clear about its priorities with regards to agriculture in BC - do we grow food because it is good business, or do we grow food to feed ourselves? We strongly believe we should be growing food to feed ourselves.
We also feel that it is important for the Government to recognize, value, support and finance groups, such as ourselves, which work towards food security. Many programs, such as community kitchens, community gardens and food policy groups, arose out of a need. A need brought on by continuous cut-backs. We do not expect the Government to fill all the holes left by these cut-backs. Communities have risen up to fill those holes on their own and the Government must work with us to allow this work to continue.
Finally, we feel that it is important to realize that although this is a food and agriculture policy document, there is a third factor to consider: Nutrition. Concurrently, the BC Government is looking at food and nutrition policy while this Select Standing Committee looks at food and agriculture policy. It is important that both groups look at food and agriculture and nutrition in order to best address the needs of British Columbians. A successful food policy must include all 3 elements.
Keeping this is mind, we have developed a set of recommendations which we have broadly broken down into 5 areas: Nutrition and Health; Education; Food Safety; Sustainability; and Food Security.
Promoting Health and Nutrition among British Columbians:
Recommendation 1:
All nutrition/food provision programs in Government institutions should develop
policies which meet Canada's Guidelines for Healthy Eating and are "Buy BC first"-
they should preferentially seek out BC products when possible, or could meet
a certain percentage of BC products used (ie 75 %). Menus should be seasonal
to better accommodate locally, grown foods and lists of which foods should be
"BC first" would be provided (ie whenever blueberries or apples are bought,
they should be preferentially from BC). Institutions/programs that should abide
by these guidelines include daycares, schools, hospitals, prisons, and transportation
services. The MAF should lobby for financial incentives for institutions who
"Buy BC first".
Recommendation 2:
MAF should continue to encourage programs which publicize and market BC foods,
such as Buy BC; BC Food and Beverage Month; Award programs that celebrate BC
products.
Educating BC Consumers about their Food:
Recommendation 3:
Work with the Ministry of Education to ensure that school curricula includes
a mandatory agriculture and nutrition component. At the elementary school level,
this can include farm tours, growing food at school, nutrition education, understanding
the food system and general exposure to food and agriculture. (Foods grown in
the school garden can used for school feeding programs). At the high school
level, this can include nutrition education, home economics and agriculture
sustainability issues, either incorporated into a new course which examines
land, food and health or within existing curricula - all of which should be
provincially examinable. Agriculture should also be promoted as a career choice
in high school, as part of CAPP (Career and Personal Planning).
Recommendation 4:
The MAF can support and work with food and farm groups to act as resources and
organize workshops, seminars and public forums regarding food and agriculture
issues - funds could be distributed in the form of grants which would be applied
for on a yearly basis.
Recommendation 5:
Food and Farm groups can organize farm tours and agriculture events geared towards
the general population as well as tourists.
Working Towards a Safer Food Supply in BC:
The MAF should support information hotlines and educational campaigns regarding food safety, biotechnology and safe agricultural practices.
Recommendation 7:
The MAF and the Ministry of Health should lobby the federal government to ensure
that all foods, including imported items, are adequately labelled in terms of
pesticide use, additives, irradiation, genetic engineering etc.
Recommendation 8:
The MAF, along with farm and food organizations, can work to review and update
food policies that affect food safety (such as pesticide use) to ensure that
regulations are based on the most current data.
Recommendation 9:
Launch a promotional campaign explaining how BC foods must meet certain safety
regulations, thereby ensuring a safe supply of local foods.
Recommendation 10:
The MAF should encourage organic food production to meet the growing demand
and to help protect the health of farm workers and the environment.
Sustainable Food Production- Being Able to Feed British Columbians Now and Forever:[
Recommendation 11:
Promoting Buy BC or "Buy BC first" policies help ensure there is a market for
BC foods and that foods are preferentially used locally, rather than being exported.
Recommendation 12:
The MAF should encourage and support BC businesses at all stages of the food
cycle, such as producers, processors and distributors, to increase our self-reliance.
Recommendation 13:
Link with BC Tourism to encourage tourism around food and agriculture - support
wine, orchard and farm tours; promote four-star restaurants and fine dining;
encourage all restaurants to use more BC foods.
Recommendation 14:
Increase education regarding the environmental and global consequences of our
food choices, at both local and international levels, and the need to maintain
biodiversity.
Recommendation 15:
Ensure that arable land is not only protected from development, but that it
is affordable enough for the farmer to farm profitably.
Promoting Food Security for all British Columbians:
Recommendation 16:
The MAF can work with food organizations to encourage links between the consumer
and the producer, such as promoting CSA's (community shared agriculture), farmers
markets.
Recommendation 17:
Encourage municipalities to implement policies which support grassroot efforts
such as community kitchens, community gardens and farmers markets - examples
include:
Recommendation 18:
Conduct community mapping regarding access to food, affordability of food and
how well the community feeds itself (availability of local foods versus reliance
on exports). The information would be useful for local governments, community
planners, community organizations and health planners among others.
Recommendation 19:
Finance, support and recognize community nutrition programs and community organizations,
such as food policy organizations, that can act as resources for community kitchens,
community gardens, food buying clubs, food co-ops and other means of food access.
This doesn't necessarily call for new money. Instead, the Gov't can re-prioritize
current funds - make prevention a priority. Supporting food security efforts
is preventative. As well, there are Government funds available but guidelines
state the money cannot be used for staff or capital costs for example - perhaps
funding guidelines can be modified to look at the overall purpose of the group.
Community groups fill in the gaps left by government cutbacks - support us!
Recommendations:
The Vancouver Food Policy Organization's recommendations for an agri-food policy focus on making links between sustainability, food, nutrition and health. While each of these are definitive and separate issues, there are many overlapping areas of concern. Our recommendations tie these concerns together, interconnecting issues rather than isolating them.
Our recommendations are divided into five broad categories: Nutrition and Health; Education; Food Safety; Sustainability and Food Security.
Wherever possible, we have linked our recommendations to the questions posed in Choosing Our Food Future. However, some of our other recommendations relate to issues not discussed in that particular document but are ones we feel are important and need to be addressed.
There have been numerous recommendations by other groups regarding nutrition and health. One notable set of recommendations are contained in "Feed our Future - Secure our Health", a document put out in 1997 by the Heart Health Coalition1. The Provincial Government has responded favourably to it and is currently funding research on how to implement the recommendations suggested. Agri-food policy provides an opportunity for implementation.
Agri-food policy looks at food and agriculture. Separately, the Ministry of Health looks at food and nutrition. It is vital that both the MAF and MoH look at food and agriculture and nutrition. Both this Committee and the Food and Nutrition Committee should be considering all three elements when developing their policies.
Many of the recommendations in Feed our Future involve initiating feeding programs or ensuring existing feeding programs meet Canada's Guidelines for Healthy Eating. The Vancouver Food Policy Organization used this document as a basis for many recommendations, providing the link as to how their recommendations regarding nutrition could be intertwined with the development of an agri-food policy. For example, these recommendations can be taken one step further - to not only ensure they are adequate nutritionally, but that they are supportive of BC agriculture.
The Provincial Government spends $100's of millions on food purchasing for public institutions such as hospitals, schools, prisons etc. However, with decreased government funding comes an increase in shared food purchasing - fewer suppliers supplying more places. Combine this with a Provincial Government who is trying to support and promote agriculture, it seems natural that we should be our own market - we should try to buy from ourselves first. Hence, in response to your question of whether or not Government should institute a Buy BC first policy, even if it incurs higher costs, (under Goal Three, "Government Policy of Buy BC"), the answer is yes. When one considers the true and absolute cost, one can see that anything paid out in higher purchasing costs is re-couped in terms of job creation, decreased transportation costs and decreased energy expenditure. The priority must be to "feed British Columbians first". The Ministry of Agriculture and Food (MAF) needs to provide more incentive to support the local economy.
Consumers are heavily influenced by the media and marketing when it comes to making food choices. People know they should eat healthier, less processed foods, yet the consumption of fast food and convenience items continues to grow. The MAF can take a pro-active stance by encouraging consumers to buy BC foods - many of which are high-quality and unprocessed and thereby make the link between promoting BC agriculture and promoting the health of British Columbians.
Recommendation 1:
All nutrition/food provision programs in Government institutions should develop
policies which meet Canada's Guidelines for Healthy Eating and are "Buy BC first"-
they should preferentially seek out BC products when possible, or could meet
a certain percentage of BC products used (ie 75 %). Menus should be seasonal
to better accommodate locally, grown foods and lists of which foods should be
"BC first" would be provided (ie whenever blueberries or apples are bought,
they should be preferentially from BC). Institutions/programs that should abide
by these guidelines include daycares, schools, hospitals, prisons, and transportation
services. The MAF should lobby for financial incentives for institutions who
"Buy BC first".
Recommendation 2:
MAF should continue to encourage programs which publicize and market BC foods,
such as Buy BC; BC Food and Beverage Month; Award programs that celebrate BC
products.
It is unfortunate that many people do not know where their food comes from or what are some of the key issues in food and agriculture. People are disconnected from the land and their food. This likely contributes to the decreased number of young people entering into agriculture as a career choice. With increasing urbanization, agriculture gets pushed out further - both physically, in terms of locations relative to city centres but also metaphorically, in terms of agriculture being less recognized as a part of our existence and culture. British Columbians need to be more informed, and the earlier the better.
In response to the question brought forth in Choosing Our Food Future regarding "Funding for Industry Organizations" (under Goal Two), our answer is yes, that the MAF should fund and support food and farm groups, whose work would include education and promotion. These groups can also take on part of the role of "Information and Support Services" (under Goal Two) and well as act as a link between municipalities, regional districts, and the agri-food industry in order to resolve conflicts and build understanding (under "Local government agriculture advisory committees", Goal Three).
Recommendation 3:
Work with the Ministry of Education to ensure that school curricula includes
a mandatory agriculture and nutrition component. At the elementary school level,
this can include farm tours, growing food at school, nutrition education, understanding
the food system and general exposure to food and agriculture. (Foods grown in
the school garden can used for school feeding programs). At the high school
level, this can include nutrition education, home economics and agriculture
sustainability issues, either incorporated into a new course which examines
land, food and health or within existing curricula - all of which should be
provincially examinable. Agriculture should also be promoted as a career choice
in high school, as part of CAPP (Career and Personal Planning).
Recommendation 4:
The MAF can support and work with food and farm groups to act as resources and
organize workshops, seminars and public forums regarding food and agriculture
issues - funds could be distributed in the form of grants which would be applied
for on a yearly basis.
Recommendation 5:
Food and Farm groups can organize farm tours and agriculture events geared towards
the general population as well as tourists.
back to contents
Working Towards a Safer Food Supply in BC:
British Columbians are worried about food safety. Dial-A-Dietitian had 2,673 calls between April '98 and March'99 regarding food safety, or 14.9% of all their non-therapeutic calls. Much focus has been on factors which the consumer controls - safe handling in the kitchen, proper cooking etc. But on the rise is concern about issues which the consumer has less control of - pesticide use, biotechnology, lack of labelling. There is a growing demand for organic foods but not enough of a supply. Consumers want to know what they are eating - they want to be able to make informed decisions. Therefore, in response to "Marketing of Natural Food" (Goal Three), you ask whether to label organic and natural food. However, it is important to define these words first. There are already certification programs which regulate the use of "organic", but nothing to regulate the term "natural". Yes, certified organic foods should be labelled and promoted to meet the growing demand.
Recommendation 6:
The MAF should support information hotlines and educational campaigns regarding
food safety, biotechnology and safe agricultural practices.
Recommendation 7:
The MAF and the Ministry of Health should lobby the federal government to ensure
that all foods, including imported items, are adequately labelled in terms of
pesticide use, additives, irradiation, genetic engineering etc.
Recommendation 8:
The MAF, along with farm and food organizations, can work to review and update
food policies that affect food safety (such as pesticide use) to ensure that
regulations are based on the most current data.
Recommendation 9:
Launch a promotional campaign explaining how BC foods must meet certain safety
regulations, thereby ensuring a safe supply of local foods.
Recommendation 10:
The MAF should encourage organic food production to meet the growing demand
and to help protect the health of farm workers and the environment.
Sustainable Food Production- Being Able to Feed British Columbians Now and
Forever:
It goes without saying that we should be able to produce food not only now but in the future as well. This is where integration becomes particularly important - looking at food in isolation does not take into account what active partnerships can be formed and maintained that would benefit both parties, such as linking agriculture with tourism or health.
There is increasing pressure on food production - a growing population, increased competition for land use, a decreasing number of people entering agriculture. The Government needs to support farmers on all fronts - it is not enough that farming is given priority over development for land use. The land must also be reasonably priced - if it is too expensive to farm profitably, farmers are forced out and the land will most likely go to the developer anyways. As such, in response to "Increasing Government Support" (under Goal Two), yes the Government should be providing more support to farmers, whether it be monetarily or not.
Factors which affect food production need to be identified and monitored.
Recommendation 11:
Promoting Buy BC or "Buy BC first" policies help ensure there is a market for
BC foods and that foods are preferentially used locally, rather than being exported.
Recommendation 12:
The MAF should encourage and support BC businesses at all stages of the food
cycle, such as producers, processors and distributors, to increase our self-reliance.
Recommendation 13:
Link with BC Tourism to encourage tourism around food and agriculture - support
wine, orchard and farm tours; promote four-star restaurants and fine dining;
encourage all restaurants to use more BC foods.
Recommendation 14:
Increase education regarding the environmental and global consequences of our
food choices, at both local and international levels, and the need to maintain
biodiversity.
Recommendation 15:
Ensure that arable land is not only protected from development, but that it
is affordable enough for the farmer to farm profitably.
It isn't enough to produce food, everyone must be able to access it as well. The Government needs to remember what their priorities are - to feed the people of British Columbia. Growing for export or trade should be done only after we ensure that we can feed ourselves.
Food bank use is on the rise. Rather than more handouts, there is the opportunity to increase awareness, to empower, to re-connect people to where food comes from and to build community, as well as increase people's access to food. This involves re-thinking how we view food - there are many ways to access food besides buying it from the grocery store.
In "A Baseline for Food Policy in British Columbia"2, a comprehensive look at the BC food system revealed that 4 large transnational companies (Overwaitea Food Group, Canada Safeway, Weston and Costco) controlled almost our entire market and that they cannot definitely say where our food is coming from. This perpetuates the lack of connection to our food. As well, with the dense population of the Greater Vancouver Regional District, the issue of food access is even greater, driving the need for alternative ways of obtaining food. We need to encourage more grassroots projects and local access.
As we all know, food banks and other "handout" programs do not provide food security - instead we need to support programs which empower people to be self-sufficient. Community kitchens are an excellent example of programs which do more than just provide food - they provide education, a supportive environment, skills and a connection to others.
Farmers markets were initially started in the United States as a means for lower income persons to obtain fresh fruits and vegetables. In response to "Direct Marketing" (Goal Three), the province does need to support these efforts. For example, the Government could pass legislation making the set-up of farmers markets as hassle-free as possible. The Government can promote farmers markets as exciting alternatives to obtain food and support your community. School boards, Park and Recreation boards and other such "public entities" should have policies which support use of their property for farmers markets, as well as community gardens and other grassroots community programs.
The concept of urban agriculture is also one that needs to be explored. It is very difficult to measure self-sufficiency. In our society, if something does not have a dollar value to assess its worth, it is often undervalued and goes unrecognized. Hence the contribution someone makes if they grow their own food is immeasurable. Yet just as there is value in the unpaid work done by a stay-at-home parent, there is value in food which is grown and consumed without being exchanged for pay. We need to encourage this and recognize it as part of the solution to how we will be able to feed ourselves. Therefore, urban gardening and city farming should be encouraged whenever possible.
With all the cutbacks to government over the years, communities have had to adapt in order to cope with these losses. Initiatives, such as community kitchens, arose in response to need - a need that continues to grow. Whereas it should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Children and Families and the Ministry of Health to ensure that families are well-fed, we find that it is impossible for the Government to do so. Community kitchens help fill that gap. Just as many community programs and food policy groups fill in gaps - whether it is to help increase access to food or to help farmers practice sustainable farming methods. The Government can't fill in all those gaps on its own and they need to recognize this. Instead, they need to work with and support those groups that do work which should be the Government's responsibility.
The MAF needs to be clear about what its priorities are - we should be growing food to feed ourselves, not because it is good business.
Recommendation 16:
The MAF can work with food organizations to encourage links between the consumer
and the producer, such as promoting CSA's (community shared agriculture), farmers
markets.
Recommendation 17:
Encourage municipalities to implement policies which support grassroot efforts
such as community kitchens, community gardens and farmers markets - examples
include:
Recommendation 18:
Conduct community mapping regarding access to food, affordability of food and
how well the community feeds itself (availability of local foods versus reliance
on exports). The information would be useful for local governments, community
planners, community organizations and health planners among others.
Recommendation 19:
Finance, support and recognize community nutrition programs and community organizations,
such as food policy organizations, that can act as resources for community kitchens,
community gardens, food buying clubs, food co-ops and other means of food access.
This doesn't necessarily call for new money. Instead, the Government can re-prioritize
current funds - make prevention a priority. Supporting food security efforts
is preventative. As well, there are Government funds available but guidelines
state the money cannot be used for staff or capital costs for example - perhaps
funding guidelines can be modified to look at the overall purpose of the group.
Community groups fill in the gaps left by government cutbacks - support us!
1 B.C. Heart Health Coalition, Feed Our Future - Secure Our Health (Vancouver, 1997). 2 Kneen, Brewster; McDougall, Cynthia; Kneen, Cathleen, A Baseline for Food Policy in British Columbia, (Vancouver, 1997)