Toronto Food Policy
Toronto, Canada
Availability, Accessibility, Vendor and Product Properties, Convenience, Marketing and Regulation, Desirability, Norms and Preferences, Social Capital
Local, Regional, Supra-national
Citizens/Consumers, Businesses, Public Sector
Ongoing
The Toronto Food Strategy (TFS) aims to move the needle towards a food system that positively impacts human and environmental health. This kind of transformative change requires a long-term effort by global, regional and local stakeholders – community, institutional, private sector, government, producers, and academia. The Toronto Food Policy is overarching of various aspects of food consumption, production and presentation as well as the social and environmental effects surrounding food. Under the umbrella of the policy are programmes addressing the following: - Assessing the impact of climate change of food systems in Toronto. - Stop marketing of junk food to kids - Reducing food waste - Promoting healthy, sustainable diets - Providing access to land for people who want to grow their own produce. - Toronto Youth Food Policy Council - World’s first youth-run food policy council seeking to mobilise and engage youth to make change by building a just food system. - Food by ward mapping - Documents food assets and opportunities, ward by ward, across the City of Toronto. - Mobile good food markets - Better online prices on nutritious food for non-profit groups, students groups and social services. - Community Engagement and Entrepreneur Development [CEED] Gardens program aims to create urban agricultural gardens in hydro corridors. - Social Supermarkets - A program aiming to support parents and educators to help promote child physical health and mental well-being. - Menu labelling - Urban Harvest works with local homeowners who would like to share surplus fruits and vegetables grown on their property.
The Toronto Food Policy was established in 2010 to align with the growing international, national and regional food movements and the increasing recognition of the important role of cities in promoting healthy sustainable food systems. These movements are a response to a food system that creates deep inequities, and threatens the health and environment of communities around the world. Cities play a unique role in the food movement and can mobilize multiple stakeholders to promote a healthy, just and sustainable food system for all residents.
The policy is led by Toronto Public Health who monitors most programmes, some programmes are monitored by the Children’s Service, Economic Development & Culture, Employment & Social Services, and Solid Waste Management.
The various programmes are implemented throughout the neighbourhoods and agencies. The programmes have produced measurable results such as the 8,600 people served at the Mobile Good Food Markets or the growing number of community gardens.