“In an era of globalization, peak oil, climate change, population increases and genetically modified organisms, the demand for locally grown and processed food has been increasing. Moreover, food security has been identified as an important public policy goal for the past ten years. As defined in the United Nations Rome Declaration on World Food Security (1996), food security “exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 1996, p. 1).
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s, Rome Declaration stated that food insecurity should be reduced by 50 percent by 2015. Objective 7.5 of the Rome Declaration recognizes that food security is best achieved at the local level. (UN FAO, 1996). As one of the 186 signatories to the declaration, Canada established an Action Plan for Food Security in 1998.
The goals of Canada’s Action Plan for Food Security are food security, public health, social justice / equity, democracy and peace. Access to locally grown food is a key factor in food security. According to the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, “Food security is a broad concept, encompassing safety, quality and sustainability of our food supply, and access to a healthy diet.” (Vancouver Coastal Health, Population Health, 2007, p. 1). Farmers’ markets are recognized by numerous stakeholders as an essential part of the food system where consumers can access locally grown and nutritious food.”
Policies to Promote the Security and Development of Farmers’ Markets in BC Introduction
Protection From ecoli
Why?
November 2024 Clearbrook BC Water system:
Nearly 10,000 people in Abbotsford, B.C., have been told to boil their water after E. coli bacteria was detected in a private provider’s water system on Thursday.
Sustainable Agriculture in the Fraser Valley 