New Parliamentary Report on Food Policy Echoes Many FSC Ideas

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food’s Report on A Food Policy for Canada sends a powerful message in recognizing the right to food and calling for a national food policy advisory body, but misses the mark on addressing food insecurity in Northern and Indigenous communities and shifting to more healthy and sustainable diets.

On December 11, the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food released its report on A Food Policy for Canada, following several months of witness testimony and submissions from a variety of stakeholders, including Food Secure Canada and several of its partner organizations. While the policy itself is still in development and is expected to be announced in the spring, this report lends Parliamentary weight to many of Food Secure Canada’s key ideas.

In Food Secure Canada’s presentation to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, Executive Director Diana Bronson highlighted six key priorities stemming from our Five Big Ideas for a Better Food System:

• Recognition of the right to food as a guiding principle

• Support for a new relationship between Canada and Indigenous Peoples through food

• Prioritization of children and youth, including the development of a national healthy school food program

• Support for the next generation of farmers and promotion of a diversity of farming practices

• Establishment of a National Food Policy Council

• Support for social innovation on equal footing with technological innovation

Right-to-Food Breakthrough

Most significant is the recommendation to put the right to food for all Canadians at the heart of the new food policy. As noted in the report, “a number of witnesses said that the first component that should be included in a food policy is official recognition of the right to food.” Many of us were discouraged to see the dismissive reaction of the federal government to the 2012 UN Mission on the Right to Food, so it is encouraging that a human-rights approach to important policy issues is back on the table. The recently announced federal housing strategy embraces the right to housing which gives us hope the food policy will embrace the right to food.

Governance Is Critical

Food Secure Canada also identified governance as a critical issue for food policy success, knowing that not all the complex and systemic issues could be tackled in such a short time frame. Civil society has long been excluded from food policy-making in Canada, and we need a more transparent and participatory mechanism to be put in place. The Committee’s final recommendation to “establish a national food policy advisory body consisting of the key government departments, the agriculture and agri-food sector, academia, Indigenous peoples and civil society” is a significant step forward on this longstanding priority of Food Secure Canada. Many of our academic, industry and civil society partners also raised this as a preoccupation during the Committee hearings. It’s nice to see that Parliamentarians agree!

Support for Sustainable Agriculture

Other encouraging recommendations include support for organics and strengthening regional food systems. Food Secure Canada is particularly pleased to see the Committee recognize the necessity of increasing supports for new farmers - an issue we, along with new farmers groups from across the country, have long advocated for (See our 2016 Brief on Farm Renewal). In addition, the committee’s recommendation to “invest in community-level action in the areas of innovative agriculture initiatives, food security, food literacy, and food loss and waste” speaks to the importance of social innovation alongside technological innovation, something Food Secure Canada has championed in its call for a $65-million Social Innovation in Food Fund as part of A Food Policy for Canada.

Less Positive Recommendations

While it is encouraging to see the Committee mention food insecurity in Indigenous and Northern communities, the recommendation to review Nutrition North Canada is not only old news (consultations have long been completed), it’s woefully inadequate. As many organizations across the North have noted, what is needed is a complete overhaul and rethink of existing programs to enhance Northern and Indigenous food sovereignty by building the resilience of regional food systems in the North, including support for harvesting and hunting of traditional and country foods.

There are a few other red flags. Recommendation 6 suggests that Canada’s Food Guide take into account “alignment and competitiveness for domestic industries” which would be a huge step backwards as Health Canada has already clearly identified the importance of minimizing undue influence of the food industry in the revision process. Canadians need tools like Front of Package labeling (a component of the Healthy Eating Strategy) to help them avoid foods that are high in sodium, sugar and saturated fats. A whole suite of policy interventions are needed to create healthier food environments in public institutions and to address the challenges low-income Canadians face in accessing affordable fresh, healthy, local food. This food policy is an opportunity to create synergies between agriculture’s agenda to drive economic growth (which can also be done by further localizing food systems) and making food a priority for upstream health policy interventions that address the social determinants of health. It’s not an either/or -- we need sustainable and healthy diets.

Finally, the recommendation to “streamline approvals of new biotechnology innovation, such as seeds and plant breeds” is also concerning given the health, economic and environmental concerns of certain biotechnologies including GMOs (genetically modified organisms), not to mention the tremendous corporate concentration in agricultural technologies. Alongside support for organics, Food Secure Canada advocates the use of the precautionary principle in regards to biotechnology, to ensure we fully understand the risks and potential consequences of new plant breeding technologies.

Food Secure Canada will continue to advocate for its Five Big Ideas for a Better Food System, and we look forward to further discussions with government and food organizations in the months ahead in order to collectively build a just, sustainable and healthy food system for Canada.

Grading the Recommendations

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