Did you know in this system of food globalization, food has to travel an average of 2500km before it reaches the plate of a Canadian household? This is for every meal, for every member of your household. The amount of time, packaging and fuel that goes into moving food from farm to table is naturally resource heavy and a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
The food market in Canada is predominantly reliant on globalization and globalized markets to access a variety of foods and food ingredients. Do you ever take a moment to stop and see the country of origin of your produce while you’re at the grocery store? Staples that we all buy at our regular shopping trip are regularly sourced from globalized agricultural hubs (such as Mexico, Chile or California). However, when those foods could otherwise be grown locally, why are we readily purchasing outsourced produce/food products?
Here in Ontario, we have the ability, for 6 months (or so) out of the year, to grow the majority of fruits and vegetables for the population. Even after the 6 month growing period, there is opportunity to jar, preserve or freeze local foods, so that they can be enjoyed all year long. Buying local agriculture or food products from Ontario or Canadian farmers directly supports farmers to enhance the local economy. Additionally, not only does it ‘support local,’ but it reduces the use of natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions. Buying local helps to reduce food travel and reduce food packaging, making it more sustainable than their well travelled, heavily packaged counterparts. There are many ways to access local foods, depending on your interest and commitment level. We will take you through a few programs that are currently offered in Ontario so that you can make informed spending choices on your next food buying trip.
Foodland Ontario
Most of us have heard of or have seen grocery store features for Foodland Ontario. For those who have not, Foodland Ontario is a logo signifier that helps Ontario residents identify local food sources within national grocery stores. This program is in place to encourage Ontario residents to purchase local Ontario produce. Many items are available all year long, due to our ability to grow in greenhouses (i.e. tomatoes) and produce that just naturally has a long shelf life (i.e. apples).
An interesting feature provided on the Foodland Ontario website is an availability guide for local produce in Ontario, showcasing the months in which certain produce is available. Although this is helpful for Ontario residents to shop for local food at specific times, it is not always easy to navigate national grocery stores to purchase it. Oftentimes, national grocery stores do not carry the same produce, so one grocery store could sell local Ontario strawberries, and another could be selling California grown. There is no standard across stores and no allocation of the quantity of Foodland Ontario produce that needs to be available. Given this, it is at times inconsistent.
However, this program offers all the features of shopping local without having to compromise in other areas of your regular shopping needs. You can still make informed decisions and buy local where you can. This is what makes Foodland Ontario such a great program that provides the ability to mobilize local food in a national grocery store setting.
Food Cooperatives
Food cooperatives (co-ops) are not owned by large corporations, but are owned by the people for the people, with members buying shares in the business. Residents that own shares are considered co-owners, who all have a vote in how the market (whether physical or virtual) operates. Currently there is only one food co-op operating within Niagara (but many in other areas of Ontario), and it is an online database. This database is the Niagara Local Food Co-op, which connects producers with consumers in a virtual farmers market. During the peak growing season, specific weeks out of the month are chosen to be shop weeks. These shop weeks are when consumers place their order for local produce online, and then the ordered produce is available for pick up. This virtual farmers’ market allows consumers to order from a specific producer to ensure the quality of the products they are receiving.
Farmers Markets
Farmers markets are often praised for their access to local agriculture and are commonly recognized as more environmentally sustainable than other methods of purchasing food. Farmers markets have been around for centuries and acted as a primary income source for independent farmers. Ontario alone has over 170 operating farmers markets to date. In Niagara, there are 12 operating farmers markets to supply the region. Farmers markets are important in Ontario as they foster a sense of community through social interaction between farmers and residents. These markets also offer access to local produce such as fruit, vegetables and meat, as well as other artisanal products created around the region, including preserves.
Community Shared Agriculture
Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) provides Ontario residents an alternative to sourcing local food. CSA’s help connect producers to consumers by creating a direct relationship between these parties to source fresh produce. CSA’s way of operating is based on a one time, annual, payment from a consumer prior to the growing season. This payment covers costs the farm might endure during the growing season, such as seeds, equipment or labour. In return, consumers receive a weekly box of fresh produce during the growing season, usually between May-October. This program is both beneficial for the consumer as well as the producer. Consumers get local agriculture, grown, harvested and boxed in a convenient manner, while producers gain perspective in how much food they need to grow in order to support the CSA (instead of blindly growing crops for an undetermined number of people). Additionally, as a consumer, this program creates direct support for local farmers, which in turn supports the local economy and increases local employment.
Discussion
Local food is available through a variety of avenues and you do not need to compromise or deviate from your regular shopping to add more Ontario grown produce to your regular shopping. Alternatively, you can access local food from any of the above programs and try to increase buying local significantly. While at the grocery store, looking for Foodland Ontario labelling, or checking country of origin in general, can help you navigate the produce aisle and choose what is best for you and your family. Of course, some produce and food products that have become a Canadian staple (such as bananas and avocados) will never be able to be grown here in Ontario or even Canada, and that is okay. You do not need to convert to all local food, all the time (that is not sustainable for your diet or your nutritional needs) but buy local where you can. Making local food purchases where you can is still supporting the local economy and the local food movement, while still reducing natural resource depletion and greenhouse gas emissions.