The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance (GHFFA) has been studying and practicing local food procurement in municipally operated facilities and long-term care homes. They will be sharing results of their most recent work on Tuesday December 7, 2021 at the Agriculture Economic Development and Planning Community of Practice.
The first phase of their Serving Up Local project resulted in a combined increase of 23 per cent in local food purchasingin 9 long-term care homes.
With an estimated $745 million dollars spent by Ontario’s Broader Public Sector institutions annually on food and beverages, there is much opportunity to tap into the purchasing power of public institutions to help strengthen Ontario’s agricultural sector.
A second project by GHFFA, Serving Up Local II, is an economic analysis research project by the GHFFA exploring the economic impact on long term care homes who increased their local food purchasing. Research results are intended to assist the province in setting realistic goals for Broader Public Sector local food procurement under the third pillar of the Local Food Act and to shape recommendations to the Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care.
Toolkit & Resources
Local food procurement reports, farm-to-fork Entrée Systems Maps, Local Produce Posters, Long-Term Care Case Studies and a Mealtime Engagement Toolkit can be found on their website: Food and Farming – Working in partnership for a vibrant food and farming cluster Food and Farming Tune in, Tuesday December 7, 2021, 10 am – 11:30 am to learn about opportunities to bring local food producers and processors together with your municipally operated facilities. We also have a Contract Specialist from MEALsource and an Ontario abattoir sharing their on-the-ground experience and recommendations. Join us by REGISTERING HERE for the Agriculture Economic Development and Planning Community of Practice discussion on Serving Up Local.
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