Bits and Bytes | News from the Food Movement - July 2017

With the launch of food policy consultations and the national Food Policy Summit in Ottawa, it has been a busy month at Food Secure Canada. Our members from across the country have been getting informed, mobilizing their members and actively engaging around what kind of food policy we would like to see in Canada. With new evidence from our friends at CFCC stating that 95% of Canadians think a nutritious diet is a basic human right, our Five Big Ideas are gaining momentum. This newsletter has a good summary of what is going on and how you can get involved. Don’t forget to endorse FSC’s Five Big Ideas!

	Make Your Voice Heard on National Food Policy Food Secure Canada has prepared a short analysis to encourage thoughtful participation in the online survey towards A Food Policy for Canada led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Canadians are invited to complete a short online survey, open until July 27, 2017, about the objectives that should guide Canada’s first National Food Policy. [Read More]
	Food Movement Gathers Momentum at Ottawa Food Policy Summit As part of its process for developing a National Food Policy for Canada, AAFC convened a Food Summit in Ottawa on June 22-23. The two-day event brought together over 300 diverse stakeholders from across the country to brainstorm, discuss and workshop key principles and priorities for a national food policy. [Read More]
	Health Canada Consultations Open on Canada's Food Guide and Restricting Marketing to Children Health Canada recently announced more consultations on two components of its Healthy Eating Strategy–Canada’s Food Guide and Restricting Marketing to Children–and there is a food fight brewing around front-of package labelling between agriculture and health stakeholders. [Read More]
	Inside Scoop: National Food Policy Update for FSC’s Members - Issue Number 2 Welcome to the Inside Scoop, where we share the latest news about the process and politics of getting to Canada’s first National Food Policy (NFP). Available exclusively to FSC’s members and supporters, the contents are not for citation or publication. Please do not forward beyond your own staff. Be inside or miss out! [Read More]
	A People's Food Policy: Transforming our Food System While Canadian and Scottish food policies are in the midst of taking shape, England is also hoping to adopt a progressive food policy that would tackle the existing problems within its food systems. [Read More]
Other News: Welcome Gabrielle, Christina, Susan and Tierra! FSC is proud to welcome these four women to our staff team! Gabrielle is the new Communications and Membership Coordinator, Christina the Communications and Administration Assistant, Susan is the editor of the Inside Scoop and Tierra our intern for the summer. Come and take a closer look on our website to discover more about them! [See our staff] Canadian Policy Reviews are Chances to Bolster Crop Diversity In this article, Emile Frison, the former director general of Bioversity International, and Faris Ahmed, policy director at USC Canada, share with us their insights on the fragile state of our food systems and how diversity in farming can lead us to a viable food future. [Read more] UNICEF REPORT CARD 14: Child Well-being in a Sustainable World The 2017 UNICEF Report Card Building the Future is the first report to assess the status of children in rich countries in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It ranks countries based on their performance and details the challenges and opportunities that rich countries face in achieving interdependent global commitments for children, shared economic prosperity and a sustainable environment. It also ranks Canada quite poorly in the Canadian Companion document and the data reveals that we are not as safe, clean and healthy as we might like to believe. [Read more] Sign the letter: GM Alfalfa 2017 On Jun 16th, 2017, 14 farm organizations wrote to the federal Minister of Agriculture to repeat their joint call for the government to cancel variety registration for all GM alfalfa until a full economic impact assessment is conducted. All organizations are invited, producer associations, companies and community groups to sign on to this letter. Individuals can also take action by visiting www.cban.ca/alfalfa. [Read more]
		Save the Date: [Mark your Agenda] Nominations for FSC Board The nominations period for Food Secure Canada’s 2017-2018 Board of Directors is open from June 16th and will run until July 7th, 2017. Are you interested in being part of a dynamic team of people from across Canada? Do you have skills that could help Food Secure Canada grow and prosper? Do you know someone who might fit the bill? Stay tuned for more information on how you can be involved in strengthening the Canadian food movement right now, when it matters most. [Read more] Nomination period: June 16 - July 7 [Event] The 19th Annual Gathering of the BC Food Systems Network Hosted by BC Food Systems Network When? July 14 @ 1:00 PM to July 16 @ 1:00 PM PDT Where? UBC Farm \| 3461 Ross Drive, Vancouver, BC BC Food Systems Network (BCFSN), a project on Tides Canada‘s Shared Platform, works to create healthy, just and sustainable food systems in British Columbia by strengthening connections, nurturing capacity, and supporting joined-up food policy at all levels. BCFSN works in partnership with farmers and ranchers, fishers, First Nations, and people in communities working to rebuild their food systems from the ground up. BCFSN works to undertake awareness building and education, and to develop balanced policy proposals that adhere to sustainability principles and reflect the needs and interests of a wide range of people, communities and ecosystems. [More info] [Mark your Agenda] AGM and National Food Policy Symposium Food Secure Canada will hold its Annual General Meeting and a symposium on a National Food Policy on November 10^th and 11^th, 2017, in Montreal. Additionally, the Coalition for Healthy School Food Meeting is confirmed for November 9^th, 2017, also in Montreal. More details about this exciting event will follow. Members will be able to vote for our Board, hear about this past year's progress, and get the latest news on the government’s national food policy consultations. Stay tuned! VIEW COMPLETE EVENTS CALENDAR