Recognizing food’s powerful ability to build healthy, vibrant cities for all, the City of Hamilton is in the process of implementing a Food Strategy that has been developed with comprehensive cross-departmental collaboration and a system-wide approach.
We spoke with Sandy Skrzypczyk, MHSc, RD, Hamilton’s Public Health Services, about the development and importance of such a strategy.
“Developing the Food Strategy was a priority because it will help the City and our community take a more holistic approach and align municipal food decisions from separate policy and program areas – ultimately it helps us to think strategically to build a stronger local food system now and in the future,” says Skrzypczyk.
The strategy identifies 4 strategic goals, 14 food system recommendations (which all contribute to achieving one or more of the goals), and 46 food system actions.
The four identified goals are:
1) Support food friendly neighbourhoods to improve access to healthy food for all
2) Increase food literacy to promote healthy eating and empower all residents
3) Support local food and help grow the agri-food sector
4) Advocate for a healthy, sustainable, and just food system with partners and at all levels of government
A system-wide approach means addressing production, processing & distribution, food waste management, and access & consumption — thus simultaneously supporting people, producers, workers, the economy and environment. By taking this holistic approach in developing the ten-year plan, and considering all parts of a local food system, they hope to more effectively allocate resources and actions, to ultimately result in more people being connected to good food.
“Hamilton is quite unique in the sense that we have an urban agriculture policy, which officially allows urban farming, for example, within the urban boundary,” shares Skrzypczyk. “So the next step is to look at how we can enhance food actions by asking what are the opportunities and the barriers to build on existing work?”
Within the 46 food actions, five priority actions have been identified to focus on over the next couple of years: (1) funding criteria process, (2) food skills & employability program, (3) community & neighbourhood infrastructure, (4) food literacy network, and (5) local food promotion, which entails expanding marketing efforts to focus on Hamilton’s local food and farming sectors, while enhancing culinary tourism to promote local food businesses and events.
Along with supporting local producers, they’re also aiming to support small business entrepreneurs who want to start food businesses, which means gaining a better understanding of any barriers to navigating these structures.
The numerous actions vary in degree and scope; some, of course, will take longer than others, and some are already in progress.
“Hamilton has a strong history of food action, so we know we’re not starting from scratch,” explains Skrzypczyk.
Offering support to two local food procurement projects are also among the 46 food system actions: Mohawk College’s Local Food Procurement project and the GHFFA’s Local Food Procurement project in Long Term Care facilities, both supported by the Greenbelt Fund.
The development of a Hamilton Food Strategy first started in 2012 with a Motion from City Council. It began with a review of other food strategies, an environmental scan of the city’s resources allocated toward food actions, as well as laying out a proposed vision, principles and goals.
The City then held an extensive community engagement process; the food strategy was informed by over 2,700 citizens and stakeholders.
A number of key consistent themes emerged from the engagement process, including support for local agriculture and local food, ensuring access to healthy food for everyone (regardless of income or location), and enhancing food literacy.
How can a food strategy ensure a local food system helps achieve these social, environmental, economic, cultural and health goals? Check out this video the City made for Hamiltonians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP14zOuPOKE
Public Health has been leading the development of the strategy in collaboration with many other departments, including housing, waste management, economic development, culture & tourism, environment, community planning, and nutrition & health promotion.
Currently the focus is the five priority actions and developing a detailed implementation plan for the overall strategy, which will be taken back to Council later this year.
The strategy is a living document that will be assessed and revised as needed, and so a reporting schedule has been put into place. There will be annual updates to Council, and every two years a report card of achievements will be made.
With many goals and actions aligning with the GHFFA Action Plan, we are excited to see the Hamilton Food Strategy grow into action, as well as support it along the way. Kudos to the City of Hamilton!