Locally grown cultural food guide
Posted: October 9, 2009
Categories: Food in the News / News from Sustain Ontario
Interested in buying cultural food that is locally grown? Now, you have a way to find it!
In Fall 2009, Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) made it easier for Torontonians who are looking for fresh cultural foods ‘from back home’ to find retailers selling locally grown cultural food.
How? By developing the first-ever locally-grown cultural food guides that identify the location of farmers, farmers’ markets and food retailers selling cultural food grown in the Greenbelt and surrounding area. We’ve started with four guides that help Torontonians buy locally grown food used for African/Caribbean, Chinese, Middle Eastern and South Asian cuisine.
To find the markets and the stores for specific locally grown cultural food, click on the following links:
Locally-Grown Chinese Food Guide in PDF
Locally-Grown South Asian Food Guide PDF or Google Map
Locally-Grown Middle Eastern Food Guide PDF
Locally-Grown African/Caribbean Food Guide PDF
When you have a choice, cooking with cultural foods grown locally helps the environment, helps local farmers and is more nutritious than buying imported food. And it helps preserve our precious agricultural land, much of it in the Greenbelt.
TEA worked closely with many community partners who helped make these guides a reality. We would like to thank:
- Chinese Canadian National Council, Toronto Chapter
- Council of Agencies Serving South Asians
- FarmStart
- Access Alliance
- Centre for Information and Community Services
- Doorsteps Neighborhood Services
- Rexdale CHC
- South Riverdale CHC
- Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office
- Toronto Public Health/Peer Nutrition Program
We also want to especially thank the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation who provided the financial resources to make these guides a reality.
Why eat Greenbelt-grown “Cultural Food”?
It’s fresh and flavourful and tastes like how you remember it tasted back home. The Greenbelt supplies an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit. Because it doesn’t need to be shipped long distances, produce can be harvested when it’s fully ripe and it tastes the way it should taste.
It protects our beautiful countryside and supports our farming neighbours. Many new Canadians moved to Toronto to enjoy the healthy, green countryside surrounding us. Buying Greenbelt-grown food directly supports local farmers and keeps our countryside healthy.
It creates local jobs for our communities. Buying Greenbelt-grown cultural food creates local jobs in agriculture and food processing. And who better to grow food from home than those who grew it back home?
It protects the environment. When you have the choice, buying Greenbelt-grown food in local markets means no airplane trips and less truck trips to deliver fresh, tasty food to our dinner plates. In contrast food from half way around the world, creates lots of pollution getting here.
If you know of anyone who sells locally-grown “food from home†or have suggestions for the food guides please contact:
Franz Hartmann
(416)596-0660
franz (at) torontoenvironment.org
http://torontoenvironment.org/campaigns/greenbelting/foodguide