Toronto Food Policy Council
Encyclopedia
The Toronto Food Policy Council (TFPC) is a citizen body of food activists and experts responsible for generating food policy for the City of Toronto.
Formed in 1991, the 30-member TFPC supports scores of programs with the shared goal of ensuring equitable access to food, nutrition, community development and environmental health, acting as professional lobbyist for the people on food and related issues.
The TFPC is free to make its own decisions on food policy issues. Staff working with the TFPC are employed by, and responsible to, The Toronto Department of Public Health
. This arrangement has gained interest from public health, community, food security
and sustainable agriculture
organizations around the world. The TFPC is under the leadership of Lauren Baker. Previous TFPC staff include Rod MacRae and Wayne Roberts. In April, 2009, the TFPC received the Bob Hunter Environmental Achievement Award, given to a City of Toronto agency with a record of outstanding leadership, for its efforts to make food an action item on the environmental agenda. The TFPC also won an honorary mention for a major award from the Community Food Security Coalition
for its work promoting food sovereignty in October, 2009.
Working to ensure all significant decisions and expenditures are viewed through a “food lens,” the Council, under the leadership of Co-chair Janice Etter, succeeded in having food issues highlighted in the city of Toronto's official plan, adopted by city council in 2002 and updated in 2007.
Some of the Council’s work has included:
Formed in 1991, the 30-member TFPC supports scores of programs with the shared goal of ensuring equitable access to food, nutrition, community development and environmental health, acting as professional lobbyist for the people on food and related issues.
The TFPC is free to make its own decisions on food policy issues. Staff working with the TFPC are employed by, and responsible to, The Toronto Department of Public Health
Toronto Public Health
Toronto Public Health is a city department of the City of Toronto and is responsible for promoting public health policy in the city.The current department was formed in 1998, replacing the public health units of the former cities of Toronto, York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke and the...
. This arrangement has gained interest from public health, community, food security
Food security
Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...
and sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
organizations around the world. The TFPC is under the leadership of Lauren Baker. Previous TFPC staff include Rod MacRae and Wayne Roberts. In April, 2009, the TFPC received the Bob Hunter Environmental Achievement Award, given to a City of Toronto agency with a record of outstanding leadership, for its efforts to make food an action item on the environmental agenda. The TFPC also won an honorary mention for a major award from the Community Food Security Coalition
Community Food Security Coalition
The Community Food Security Coalition is a North American non-profit made up of 325 member organizations who focus on social and economic justice, the environment, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, community development, labor, anti-poverty, and anti-hunger initiatives...
for its work promoting food sovereignty in October, 2009.
Working to ensure all significant decisions and expenditures are viewed through a “food lens,” the Council, under the leadership of Co-chair Janice Etter, succeeded in having food issues highlighted in the city of Toronto's official plan, adopted by city council in 2002 and updated in 2007.
Some of the Council’s work has included:
- Helping community organisations obtain $3.5 million for projects increasing access to affordable nourishing food in the early 1990s.
- Successfully lobbying the federal government to refuse to license Bovine Growth Hormone, a biotechnology product, for use in Canadian dairy operations.
- Working with the Student Nutrition Coalition to expand school food programs in Toronto from 53 to 350.
- Founding the Rooftop Garden Resource Group to research and promote a green roof industry in Canada.
- Producing a ground-breaking series of discussion papers on a food systems approach to public health policy, and giving hundreds of presentations to university classes, and environmental and community groups.
- Championing the Toronto Food Charter, a declaration of citizen rights and government responsibilities that sets the food security standard for municipalities.
- Publishing two email services on food system issues, one dealing with local food and one with global.