Blog post provided by Meena Hassanali, Agriculture and Agri-Food Business Specialist, York Region York Region is home to a thriving agriculture and agri-food sector. The broader agri-food sector – everything from farms to processors, grocery stores and distributors – provides approximately 57,000 jobs and generates $2.7 billion in GDP...read more
Canada’s Food Price Report for 2020 forecasts a 2-4% increase in food prices in the new year, bringing the predicted annual cost of food for the average Canadian family to $12,667 — an increase of $487 over 2019. This is the 10th edition of Canada’s Food Price Report, which is...read more
Cavaleiro Farm is a 65-acre agroecological farm in Schomberg, Ontario, that’s shining the light on solar energy’s versatile on-farm applications. The York Region farm, run by Antonio Gomes, raises lambs, grows vegetables for a CSA, plants fruit trees, and provides land for local food businesses to rent out. As...read more
In 2016, nine municipally-run long-term care homes, located in three different Regions of the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario, thought it impossible to increase local food purchasing by 5% for resident menus. By 2018, they had collectively increased their local food purchases by over 23%, including a 124% increase...read more
The Golden Horseshoe Food and Farming Alliance is continuing our work on local food procurement in Ontario’s long-term care sector with the launch of the project Serving Up Local II: An Economic Analysis (SULEA). The SULEA project is the second phase of GHFFA’s incredibly successful Serving Up Local Project...read more
Ontario’s local food industry is a major contributor to the province’s economy. The demand for local food is on the rise – almost 60 per cent of broader public sector institutions are asking for Ontario food. Ontario food is being used in our BPS sector as an engagement tactic...read more
To support the Waste Free Ontario Act, the University of Guelph’s Hospitality Services has introduced three new sustainability initiatives in their University Centre food court. “We believe everyone should have access to ethical waste disposal,” says Natalie Vasilivetsky, Environmental Sustainability Co-ordinator. “This is an important way for U of...read more