Bits and Bytes | News from the Food Movement - December 2016

Its been a busy month for food policy, with lots of follow-up from work at our Toronto Assembly! Food Secure Canada's New Farmers Initiative has crafted a policy brief which provides the government with precise and practical ideas about how the next Agricultural Framework can support the innovations new farmers are developing. We also have been active on Health Canada's consultations on Canada's Food Guide, providing context with a webinar on sustainable diets and encouraging participation. Also in the newsletter is a report back from PROOF's informative conference on household food insecurity research, and a summary of one of the key panel discussion of national food organizations on food policy at the recent Assembly. conversation of national food organizations session that was held at the Assembly bringing together other advocates of a national food policy. Finally, this issue contains a profile of a long-standing member: Meal Exchange. There has never been a better time to be involved in food policy. Join Food Secure Canada today, and if you are already a member, invite a friend to join or share this newsletter with someone you think may not receive it!

	New Farmers are the Future of Food. They need our Support! There is a growing interest in agriculture as a career from a diverse group of new farmers, and many are succeeding in developing successful farm businesses. However more needs to be done to ensure a sustainable and resilient future for Canadian agriculture. [Read More]
	Make Sustainable Diets An Important Part Of Canada’s Next Food Guide Food Secure Canada has developed this primer to encourage Canadians to raise food systems issues when they participate in the online Canada Food Guide consultation - open until December 8, 2016. [Read More]
	Advancing Food Insecurity Research in Canada - PROOF Conference Takeaways On November 17 and 18 in Toronto, almost 200 researchers and advocates from Canada and abroad met at the first PROOF conference, Advancing Food Insecurity Research in Canada, to discuss one of the most intractable issues facing our country - the growing number of Canadians who have trouble putting food on the table. [Read More]
	National Perspectives on a National Food Policy A summary of one of the interactive panels at FSC's 9th Assembly, bringing together the leaders of major national organizations seeking to influence Canada’s national food policy. [Read More]
	Great Food Organisations We Love to Support : Meal Exchange An interview with Sarah Archibald of Meal Exchange, a Toronto-based charity empowering youth to take an active role in improving their local food system. We discussed Meal Exchange's core values, as well as ongoing programs and their hopes for the future. [Read More]
Other News: Endorse the "Stop Marketing to Kids" Initiative! The Stop Marketing to Kids (M2K) Coalition envisions a Canada where children and parents make nutritious food choices in an environment free of influence from food and beverage marketing to children. The Coalition's policy recommendations and guiding principles are encapsulated in the "Ottawa Principles". Join the 53 (and counting) organizations and many individuals who aim to reduce the impacts of food and beverage marketing to children in Canada. [Read more] [National Observer] Energy project threatens food security in Canada’s North Protecting country food is about more than getting enough to eat. Inuit food systems have been debilitated by centuries of colonial policy. In the Clyde River case, the struggle to protect a food source is also a struggle to protect a way of life and a cultural identity. [Read more] [CBC] Basic income a solution to food insecurity, says professor Food banks might allow Canadians to support hungry people in their community, but nutrition professor Valerie Tarasuk argued on CBC's Metro Morning that more action from the government is needed to really help solve food insecurity. [Read more] [Food Bank Canada] HungerCount 2016 This year’s increase in food bank use was widespread, with eight out of ten provinces experiencing a hike and Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia showing drastic surges of more than 17%. [Read more]
		Save the Date: [Webinar] Health Canada’s consultations on the prohibition of partially hydrogenated oils and front-of-package labelling December 6, 2016 - 1:00 to 3:00 PM EST Hosted by Health Canada - Online The webinar offers an opportunity to seek clarification on these consultations and an overview of the consultation papers published on the prohibition of partially hydrogenated oils (the main source of industrially produced trans fats) in foods and front-of-package labelling. [More info] [Webinar] An Army of Problem Solvers: A webinar with Shaun Loney December 7, 2016 - 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST Hosted by The Canadian CED Network - Online Shaun Loney makes the case that social enterprises, social entrepreneurs and the small farm movement comprise the "solutions economy". Governments will soon understand that it is their job to "make it easy for problem solvers." [More info] [Webinar] Celebrating Canada's seed innovators December 7, 2016 - 4:00 to 5:30 PM EST Hosted by USC Canada - Online Join this 4th and final webinar of the 2016 season to hear from seed leaders in three regions of Canada. They'll talk about their diverse and forward thinking seed initiatives that are advancing ecological seed and regional seed systems across the country. [More info] VIEW COMPLETE EVENTS CALENDAR