More Choice, More Control, More Canada: The National Food Security Strategy brings real, everyday benefits to Canadians across the food system.
It means growing, processing, and selling more of our food here — so Canadians aren’t paying the price every time something goes wrong somewhere else.
"Canada is one of the world's great food producers. But too much of what we grow is processed elsewhere, and too many Canadians still rely on imported food at higher prices, said Prime Minister Mark Carney.
"Nipissing-Timiskaming farmers and food producers are ready to take on a bigger role in Canada's food security. We are investing $3 billion across Canada to boost local food production, cut red tape in the agriculture supply chain, create more agri-sector jobs, reduce reliance on imports and build a food system that makes food more affordable," said MP Pauline Rochefort, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Affairs.
Canada's first-ever National Food Security Strategy will help grow and process more food here and put more Canadian food on Canadian plates.
Highlights of the National Food Security Strategy:
• Canadian families will see lower prices at the grocery store, greater choice in where to shop and what to buy. It will mean that more of the products they buy will come from local producers and food processors based in Canada. And it will mean that rural and northern communities will have greater access to year-round fruits and vegetables.
• Farmers will have more opportunities to sell their food closer to where it is grown and be able to get better prices. They will not have to wait as long to get access to new products such as fertilizers and pest control technologies that make them more productive and allow them to compete on an even playing field with producers in other countries. And it will be easier to transfer family farms to the next generation of farmers.
• Independent grocers and other vendors will not have to rely as much on buying from wholesalers run by their competitors, which makes it hard for them to compete against the large chains. It means they can work together with others to share the cost of things like cold storage and transportation to reduce costs and pass savings along with new food terminals, commercial food hubs, and distribution nodes.
• Food and beverage manufacturers will have better access to targeted programs and new financing that support growth at all stages so that they can innovate and grow in scale. Their growth will reduce our dependence on others to process the food farmers produce and increase the exports that lead to jobs and economic opportunity.
• The Controlled Environment Agriculture sector will be able to grow more
vegetables and fruits in more places, making Canada less dependent on imports of these products. And they will be able to do so at a lower cost, thanks to automation and lower energy use, which will make their products more affordable for consumers.
Learn more online about Canada's National Food Security Strategy
Canada's National Food Security Strategy (link to PDF Document)