Calgary Food Policy & Programming Council

The Calgary Food Policy & Programming Council started in May 2008.

Paul Hughes is the first Director and is concentrating his energy on forming the council's nucleus of members.

We have been offered an office, desk, phone & internet access downtown.

Food Councils exist in most cosmopolitan centres in North America. Calgary is one of the few large municipalities without a council, until now!

Why create a Food Policy Council?

There are many reasons why local officials may want to create a FPC. The most significant may be to broaden the discussion of issues beyond agricultural production to enter into a more comprehensive examination of a food system. Due to multi-stakeholder nature of a Food Policy Council, a wide range of ideas and expertise can contribute to the creation of food policy.

The creation of a FPC can provide an opportunity for a focused examination of how local government actions shape the food system. It can also create a forum in which people involved in all different parts of the food system and government can meet to learn more about what each does—and to consider how their individual actions impact other parts of the food system.

What can a Food Policy Council do that is not already being done in government?

Food Policy Councils can bring a wide range of interests and voices together which do not typically work directly with each other

Food Policy Councils can examine issues which often go unexamined; such as the effectiveness of food assistance programs and the causes of hunger in a society

Food Policy Councils can enter into a more comprehensive approach to analyzing food system issues. Since members come from all sectors of the food system, they are able to recognize the interrelation between different parts of the food system and the need for coordination and integration of actions if policy goals are to be achieved. For example, if a key objective is to increase markets for locally produced food, a FPC can play a role to consider how decisions at all levels of a food system—not just farmers or governmental officials—but also food buyers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers must also be considered in the equation.

They might:

* Help bring grocery stores or food cooperatives into areas that have none
* Work on farm to school programs to bring farm fresh food from local farmers into schools
* Get laws passed to allow residents to keep chickens for food
* Work to get farmers' markets to accept alternative forms of payment
* Change government purchasing rules so they give preference to local farmers over out of province food suppliers
* Work to preserve farmland from development into subdivisions
* Link up land owners with wannabe-farmers who can farm their land
* Reconnect with sustainable practices of First Nation's Peoples
* Survey food prices in different stores so people can compare prices without driving around
* Remove junk food from schools
* Prevent the city from selling ads for junk on the side of city busses
* Improve access to school breakfast


Acting Calgary Food Policy Council defines our purpose as:

* Develop, coordinate, and implement a food system policy.
* Connect economic development, food security efforts, preservation and enhancement of agriculture, and environmental concerns.
* Ensure universal access to healthy and affordable food for all citizens.
* Support development and expansion of locally produced food.
* Review proposed legislation affecting the food system.
* Make recommendations to the government leadership.
* Employ research and information gathering, policy analysis, and public education methods.
* Serve as a public forum for a discussion of key food system issues.