Food Policy launched

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

by PAT CURRIE

Keeping agricultural land in production, establishing a retirement fund for retired farmers and developing policies to encourage the younger generation to take up farming are among top priorities for the People’s Food Policy, a national organization launched Monday in Ottawa.

"These are all huge issues," said Amanda Sheedy, co-ordinator of the Montreal-based grassroots-driven organization that wants the federal government to address what the PFP sees as "crucial gaps" in Canada’s food system.

It wants action on pressing health, hunger, climate and agriculture issues facing the country.

"Our food system is failing us," said Sheedy. "Close to 2.5 million Canadian don’t have enough to eat, thousands of family farms are disappearing,, one in four Canadians is considered obese and the environment is being pushed to the limit."

Sheedy said the PFP held more than 250 meetings with farmers and fishers and four major farm organizations across the country before formulating its program. It’s the first time that those who deal directly with food security have joined to push a national food policy, she said.

Sheedy wants all candidates in the May 2 federal election to tell the public what they would do to address problems "and put a food policy in place that reflects the realities of the average Canada.

Other key recommendations include: Localizing the system so that food is consumed close to where it is produced; a broad shift to ecological production; federal programs on poverty elimination and prevention, creation of a national program on children and food strategy and ensuring public input into decisions. BF