Barbara Emanuel, Manager Toronto Food Strategy Toronto Public Health April 17, 2013 The Toronto Food Strategy: Integrating Food into Local Government

Toronto Food Strategy  Spearheaded by Toronto Public Health to:  Promote a healthy & sustainable food system  Identify collaborative actions that the City can take

Food System Nutrition & disease prevention Food literacy Environmental protection Strong communities Local & diverse economic development Social justice

A POWERFUL TOOL FOR BUILDING HEALTHY VIBRANT CITIES

City of Toronto’s Existing Food Connections

FOOD (& Gov’t) in Silos AGRICULTURE ECONOMICS NUTRITION FOOD SAFETY WASTE But Common Barriers across Cities

What Bureaucracies Can Be Good At Regulations Good Ideas

Toronto Star – Sept 19, 2010

Toronto Food Strategy Approach  Action oriented  Top down & bottom up  Prioritizing networks & partnerships  Leveraging resources  Research & evaluation

Toronto Food Strategy: Examples in Action

Inadequate access to public transit High Density of “Fast Food” Low Household Income Low Density of Community Food Programs/ Food Banks Lack of Healthy Food Sources  Understanding layers of neighbourhood disadvantages  Broadening discussion on food security among City & community stakeholders

Modified Retail Food Environment Index 1km radius - street network 1km aerial radius (doesn’t reflect on the ground experience) “Healthier food retail” All food retail X 100 Source: Modified Retail Food Environment Index

 Mapping highlights legacies of not integrating food access into City building over time

 Examples of apt tower communities in Germany Source: ERA Architects (2010). Tower Neighbourhood Renewal in the Greater Golden Horseshoe

Mobile Good Food Market

Multiple Goals:  Making healthy food more accessible  Evaluating mobile model  Engaging community  Building links w other City depts to create more enabling regulations  Exploring social enterprise opportunities

Leveraging City Transit Assets

New Mobile Good Food Market Vehicle (Summer 2013?)

Policies on Access to Land & Infrastructure

MANY OF THESE VEGGIES CAN BE GROWN HERE Locally Grown World Crops

Food Skills & Employability Training  Integrating food safety, nutrition & employment training skills

Healthier Corner Stores

 Conducting on-site food store surveys & owner interviews  Working with Ec Dev, retailers, community & other jurisdictions to identify what might work in Toronto

Lessons Learned So Far  Build partnerships focused on action, even small projects that allow City staff & NGO partners to see food connections can create many benefits  Be opportunistic, find where momentum is  Learning to communicate our message effectively to diverse audiences is critical

Lessons Learned So Far  Local gov’ts can play strong role in food system renewal, but need to embrace both top-down & bottom-up approaches  Working w community, local gov’t can often pilot innovative food solutions “on the cheap” by leveraging diverse resources

Barbara Emanuel, Manager Toronto Food Strategy Toronto Public Health