From a news release
A coalition of Ontario farm organizations is working with the food and beverage sector on a consultation process to clarify and streamline sustainability initiatives. The goal of this process is to create assessment equivalency and harmonize verification among the many sustainability codes and standards throughout the farm and food value chain.
“Sustainability programs are an increasingly common request across the Canadian and global food and farming sector,” says Gord Surgeoner, Chair of the Sustainable Farm and Food Coalition Steering Committee. “This is good news in terms of responding to environmental, social, and economic priorities, however, without some harmonization of these initiatives, both farmers and consumers will face a dizzying array of programs.”
The consultations are critical in developing a draft framework for a Sustainable Farm and Food Plan that encompasses all three sustainability pillars (planet, people and profit), while reducing duplication and supporting the entire value chain.
Producers, processors, retailers, food service, non-governmental organizations and consumer groups will be contacted during the consultation phase, which is expected to take place over the next 12 to 18 months.
Surgeoner says it is important to note that the initiative will be built upon the efforts of existing programs, including the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) and Growing Your Farm Profits (GYFP), Codes of Practice, regulatory standards and various commodity-specific sustainability initiatives.
The coalition recently hired Synthesis Agri-Food Network as project manager for the initiative. President Rob Hannam and Consulting Project Lead, Bronwynne Wilton, will facilitate the stakeholder discussions in collaboration with food industry veteran David Smith of Orion Global Business Sustainability Consultants.
Anyone interested in learning more about the initiative is encouraged to visit www.sustainablefarms.ca, follow @FarmFoodBeyond, or call Bronwynne Wilton at 519-822-7272 x. 105.
Sustainable Farm and Food Plan supporting organizations include: The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Christian Farmers’ Federation of Ontario (CFFO), Ontario Agri Food Technologies, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), Farm & Food Care Ontario, Provision Coalition and the Food Institute of the University of Guelph. Representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada participate in an observer capacity.
Anyone interested in learning more about the initiative is encouraged to visit www.sustainablefarms.ca, follow @FarmFoodBeyond, or call Bronwynne Wilton at 519-822-7272 x. 105.
Sustainable Farm and Food Plan supporting organizations include: The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Christian Farmers’ Federation of Ontario (CFFO), Ontario Agri Food Technologies, the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), Farm & Food Care Ontario, Provision Coalition and the Food Institute of the University of Guelph. Representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada participate in an observer capacity.
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