by Carole Christopher Co-Chair of the Vancouver Food Policy Council (www.vancouver.ca/foodpolicy) On February 15, 2007, Mayor and Council unanimously adopted the Vancouver Food Charter. This is an important step forward on the path to a just and sustainable food system for the city and its residents. The Charter is an ambitious, forward-thinking document that promotes education, celebration and real projects for a healthy economy, a healthy ecology, and a healthy society. The Vancouver Food Charter presents a vision for a food system which benefits our community and the environment. It sets out the City of Vancouver's commitment to the development of a coordinated municipal food policy, and animates our community's engagement and participation in conversations and actions related to food security in Vancouver. The goal of the Charter is to effect change. Using the above principles, it seeks to encourage: - Consumers to purchase more locally produced food; - Regional farmers to direct more of their production to local markets; - Restaurateurs to feature more local, sustainable food on menus; - Food Retailers to shift more of their inventory to local and sustainably produced food; - Increased levels of "edible gardening" in the City of Vancouver; - Enhanced backyard and neighbourhood level composting and efforts recovery of edible food. Last fall, the Vancouver Food Policy Council had a chance to conduct a series of workshops where we took a draft version of the Charter out to the public and shared it with the community-at-large. We asked participants to tell us how they think a municipal food charter could be useful or important to them in their lives. Many said it would make them proud of Vancouver. They want to see our city take a leadership role in collaborating with other levels of government and other groups in our community towards a more sustainable food system. They also felt it would help their own efforts in their families, in their children's school or extra curricular activities, in their workplace, or, as community workers with their clients in encouraging healthier, more sustainable food practices. With the Food Charter now adopted, food security issues have received a critical level of affirmation. We are now in a position to better make change in the city and develop a food system that will make all of us, and our children, proud. Five key principles for a just and sustainable food system: 1. Community Economic Development - Supports greater reliance on locally-based food systems and its' benefits to local and regional economies. 2. Ecological Health - Promotes protection of natural resources, reduction of "food miles" (currently averaging over 2500 km from farm to fork,) reduction of food waste through composting, and enhancement of "edible food recovery." 3. Social Justice - Advocates that food is a basic human right and underscores the need of all citizens, and particularly hungry children, for accessible, affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food. 4. Collaboration and participation - Strengthens food security through citizen engagement and commends cooperation of all levels of government, businesses and NGO's to promote sound food system strategies. 5. Celebration - Promotes the fundamental importance of food in bringing people together for celebration and sharing. Article from the Vancouver Food Policy Council's Seasonal Update. >> Download a copy (.PDF) >> Download the Vancouver Food Charter >> Download a backgrounder to the Vancouver Food Charter Comments on this article?Send us a note!

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