FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 6, 2018
LOCAL FOOD SOLUTIONS PAPERS RELEASED BY GREENBELT FUND
Two new papers help increase access to Ontario food during Local Food Week
Coinciding with Local Food Week, the Greenbelt Fund has released two new papers in the Local Food Solutions series. The series identifies commonly perceived barriers to increasing local food in public sector institutions, and private businesses, and offers a range of solutions.
For the latest two papers, the Greenbelt Fund tackles price and organizational culture as two perceived obstacles to switching to local. In both instances, the Local Food Solutions papers highlight organizations who have demonstrated strong leadership in embracing local food – and whose approaches can be replicated.
“Local Food Solutions papers take on the most commonly identified barriers to increasing local food sales and give real examples of how local food leaders are finding solutions,” says Edward McDonnell, CEO of the Greenbelt Fund. “The papers are instructive for institutional buyers at hospitals or universities, as well as for restaurateurs who are looking for more opportunities to choose local.”
Volume 15 “The Price of Local Food” debunks the claim that local food is necessarily more expensive than imports, citing research from St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto which found that many local options are less expensive than imports. The Paper notes similar findings by the City of Toronto in a cost comparison of tomato suppliers.
Volume 16 “Organizational Culture” identifies the important role that staff training plays in generating buy-in for local food across an organization. The paper profiles three public sector institutions – Halton Healthcare, Mohawk College and the City of Thunder Bay – who have had significant success in bringing staff on board with going local.
The new Local Food Solutions papers and complete series can be found at www.greenbeltfund.ca/tags/local_food_solutions.
-30-
About the Greenbelt Fund:
The Greenbelt Fund changes the way we eat food in Ontario. The Fund’s innovative investments get more local food onto the plates of Ontarians. We work with businesses, institutions and NGOs to make Ontario’s farmers the first choice for consumers. The Fund’s work has generated a 13-fold return on our investments, permanently changes the food value chain and improved local food awareness and education around the province. As a not-for-profit, the Greenbelt Fund is supported by public and private sources.
Contact:
Erica Woods
Communications Manager
Greenbelt Fund
Office: (416) 960-0001, ext. 306
Mobile: (647)834-5657