A New Model for Local Food Distribution, Barrie $30,262

Simcoe County Farm Fresh Marketing Association (SCFFMA) is eliminating barriers to bringing local food to broader public sector institutions in the county. Identifying the need for a better understanding of local food distribution, SCFFMA surveyed 64 stakeholders across the value chain and presented the results and their recommendations to BPS institutions, food producers, processors, and distributors. SCFFMA noted that a centralized food hub, a shift in perception away from local food as costly and not available year-round, and a vocalized demand for local food from BPS institutions in Simcoe County would be beneficial to bringing Ontario products to the area. At the time of this project, SCFFMA began addressing these areas of interest and are implementing their new strategy to increase BPS purchases of Ontario food.