This report from the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation outlines changes in agriculture over time in the Greenbelt, compared to the Greater Golden Horseshoe and Ontario. Using data from Statistics Canada’s 2001, 2006, and 2011 Census of Agriculture, the paper looks at key variables such as number of farms, area farmed, use of farmland, production levels, and farm revenue.  

Key findings from the study include:

• The Greenbelt includes 5,501 farms and 856,424 acres of farmland; it accounts for 10.6% of Ontario’s farms and 6.8% of its farmland.
• While there has been a decline in the number of farms across Ontario, the size of farms has increased. 
• In comparison to other areas of the province, the Greenbelt has several natural advantages in agriculture including climate, soil types, and geography, reflected in the specialized production in its two Specialty Crop areas.
• The Greenbelt’s proximity to the Greater Golden Horseshoe supports local food supply chains by producing a large share of Ontario’s fruits and vegetables.
• The decline in livestock in the Greenbelt largely parallels trends across the province reflecting market realities beyond farmers’ control, as well as some specific challenges related to proximity to urban development. These include complaints about odours, and constraints such as availability of supporting infrastructure and minimum acreage requirements.

Read Agriculture by the Numbers: Understanding the Greenbelt’s Unique Advantages

Check out this informative and insightful presentation by Dr. Michael Brownbridge from Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, presented on the Ontario Pavilion Stage at the 2014 CRFA Tradeshow. In the presentation, Dr. Brownbridge shares new data on the outstanding opportunities that locally grown world crops offer restaurant owners, chefs, and foodservice companies.

Read It's Not Just Cabbage And Cauliflower Anymore: Cook Global - Buy Local!

1)  Locally grown food tastes and looks better.  There is no comparing tomatoes that ripened on the vine two days before with tomatoes that ripened in a truck a week earlier.

2) Local food is often better for you. The shorter the time between the farm and your table, the less likely it is that nutrients will be lost from fresh food.

3) Local food supports local families and neighbouring businesses.  The agri-food sector is a huge economic driver in the province and supporting those who play into this sector helps keep our whole economy strong.

My parents put serious effort into my school lunches.  They tried making my healthy snacks exciting so I wouldn't fall victim to all the unhealthy options available at the school cafeteria.  Let me tell you, however, that this little girl went crazy with her paper route money at the school cafeteria.

Public sector institutions are sourcing apple products from across the continent, and whole apples from around the world. But most facilities would love to integrate more Ontario product into the menus, meals, and snacks.

Working closely with the Ontario Apple Growers, My Sustainable Canada identified product opportunities for Ontario's apple growers to more strategically develop, pack, and market products to Ontario health care facilities, public school boards, colleges/universities, and correctional facilities, in order to increase the sales of Ontario apple products.

Read Procurement Steps for Schools

Read Procurement Steps for Universities & Colleges

Read Procurement Steps for Healthcare Facilities

Read Procurement Steps for Correctional & Youth Justice Facilities

Institutions of the broader public sector (BPS) have become motivated to introduce more locally grown and processed foods in their menus to better serve their customers, be they students, hospital patients, or residents of long-term care facilities (LTCs).

This report provides an introduction to the various actors involved in the foodservice supply chain, as well as an overview of how foodservice works in universities and colleges, school boards, hospitals, municipal LTCs and child care centres. It is not intended to capture the deeper complexities of foodservice in the BPS.

Read Connecting the Links: Foodservice in the Broader Public Sector

Created in collaboration with Health Care Without Harm as part of their Healthy Food in Health Care Initiative, and The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, the Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge is a framework that outlines steps to be taken by the health care industry to improve the health of patients, communities and the environment.

Here you can find organizations, networks and research related to healthy and local food in schools.

• Farm to School British Columbia Publications
• Feeding our Future: First and Second Year Evaluation from the Toronto District School Board
• FoodShare Resources

Sustain Ontario

• Find a local food group in your area
• Good Food Policies for Education
• Backgrounder on Food Literacy, Student Nutrition and Food Service in Schools
• Research and reports

Although it was once dismissed as a fad, it’s clear that the 100-mile diet is here to stay. Every year, the demand for organic and local foods grows up to 25 per cent, with eight out of 10 Ontario consumers indicating that they prefer to eat locally, whenever possible.

Why buy Canadian? Canadian farmers and food processors bring some amazing food products to your table. Whether it's a sizzling steak on your barbeque, pork chops oozing with apple sauce or succulent fresh fish with wild rice for dinner, there is a huge variety of Canadian food to explore!

Now, the Government of Canada has developed a labeling program to help consumers understand claims that labels make about Canadian content in our food products. When consumers see the Canada brand logo on a product label, they can be sure it contains Canadian ingredients or was made in Canada.