“Messing with definitions doesn’t create more local food” says MP Carol Hughes
Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP Carol Hughes
More and more people want to be able to eat locally produced food. Whether the motivation is political or merely based on a desire to support local producers and get fresh food, the idea of eating locally is on an upward trajectory.
Recently, the Manitoulin Island Community Abattoir (MICA) celebrated their grand opening which will have a positive effect for those who want to buy local. It marked the culmination of 6 years hard work and steadfast determination and will benefit farmers who will now be able to process Manitoulin Island beef without having to ship the cattle to an abattoir off the island. Butcher shops will benefit as well along with their customers.
In this riding, MICA isn’t alone. Miky’s Smokehouse (Hearst), The Burt Farm (Gore Bay), and Amos Weber (Massey) all leap to mind as great examples of utilizing a local food supply to meet demand and cut down on transportation costs. The new local food policy announced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) addresses the notion in a less than honest way. They are giving local food a new definition for labelling purposes that stretches the concept to incredible lengths and will mislead people who might think they are buying from their back yard, when they may not even be buying from within their province.
The previous definition of local was anything produced from within a 50 km radius of the point of purchase. The new definition is anything produced in the same province or within 50 km of the provincial borders. Consider the size of Ontario then stretch 50 kilometres into Manitoba and Quebec and you will see that locally produced just became a significantly watered down term.
This is a major change to a definition that means quite a bit to those individuals who are supportive of local food. It is clear that CFIA is not working with the Canadian public and food producers to ensure that we know where our food comes from. Instead, they are trying to fool them.
It is also important to consider that true food security requires a strong commitment to making local food more accessible. The labelling change seems to acknowledge the concept but goes about working toward that in a way that doesn’t match the spirit of the idea at all. Instead of reducing the distance food travels or encouraging more local production the government has merely moved the goalposts.
A smarter and more honest approach to labelling will empower Canadians to make informed choices and help us celebrate what Canada has to offer. In this part of the north the ability to buy local food has been increased. This should be the case for more parts of Canada and cannot be achieved in a meaningful way by simply changing the definition of local.
