NAN’s 4th Annual Food Symposium
Posted: July 30, 2013
Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Members
On July 23-25, Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) held their 4th Annual Food Symposium in Thunder Bay. The symposium brought together more than 100 people from communities and organizations across Northern Ontario, to work together to develop community-based solutions to food system challenges.
The symposium included round table discussions on topics such as local food production, gardening, traditional teachings, supporting youth participation in food initiatives, and food ventures such as the Good Food Box program and community markets. Other opportunities such as co-ops, the need for regional food hubs, and importing foods through social enterprises came up in discussion.
On day 2 of the symposium, participants gathered at Thunder Bay’s Regional Food Distribution Association to learn from each other, in a hands-on way, about good nutrition practices and healthy ways to prepare food including how to can goose and deer meat. The day of food preparation ended with a community feast to share the food that had been collaboratively prepared.
The symposium also featured a short documentary film festival. Three of the documentaries shown at the festival were a filmed as a part of Sustain Ontario’s Growing Good Food Ideas series, filmed in partnership with Powerline Films. These films were Fort Albany Farmer’s Market, Forest and Freshwater Foods and NAN’s Get Growing Project, all of which can be viewed online.
For more information about the symposium, read NAN’s News Release, or read the coverage of the event in The Chronicle Journal or NationTalk.
(Photo credit: Sandi Krasowski, The Chronicle Journal)