Food Charters in Ontario and Beyond

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What is a Food Charter?

A Food Charter is broad community statement and/or a set of goals that describe how the members of a specified geopolitical community want their food system to be maintained. By including the voices of various stakeholders, Food Charters encourage a broad base of support, cross-sectorial collaboration, and community connection. Used as an education piece, Food Charters raise community awareness about food system concerns and weaknesses, and offer a platform for public discussion and advocacy. Most importantly, Food Charters are not binding policy statements, but instead act as inspiration for how to develop local food policy and or initiatives for the community. While Food Charters are primarily meant for food-related policy development and or initiatives, other uses include:

Municipal strategic planning
Promoting government endorsement and accountability
Encouraging civic engagement
Promoting understanding and awareness of food systems
Offering a long-term “reference point” for community partnerships

Food Charters generally set a vision for health, education, economic sustainability, environment, culture, and social equity, although this does vary depending on involved stakeholders. In many existing Food Charters, these broad visions are further explained using many of the following food system considerations:

Environmental sustainability and management
Food production and agriculture
Health and nutrition
Food security
Land use planning
Local food systems
Food access and distribution
Emergency food distribution/preparedness
Food safety
Community economic development
Sustainable economic development
Waste management
Advocacy and education
Culture
Social justice, social equity
Food skills development
Education and awareness
Urban agriculture

Who is involved?

The development of a Food Charters is a collaborative process that involves community members and groups, municipal staff and councillors, health professionals, food producers/processors/distributers, institutional food providers, social justice organizations, academics, and minority group community representatives.

Steps to developing a Food Charter

Build interest in the community through education and out-reach.
Begin planning the development of a Food Charter. Seek advice on the content from stakeholders. Consider holding a public consultation process to understand the perspectives of the community.
Hold an event to determine the underlying purpose of the Food Charter.
Build a first draft of the Food Charter and request feedback from the community and stakeholders.
Continue the process until everyone is satisfied and approves.
Finalize the Food Charter and seek municipal endorsement.
If endorsed, present the Food Charter to the public through a public event, education channels, and begin working on a food council, food system strategy, and or community action plan.

Challenges

Some identified challenges to the development of Food Charters include:

Time and resources
Communication between working group members in different parts of the food system
Lack of producer participation
Encompassing all perspectives
Lack of public awareness
Food Charter endorsement by community or municipality/region
Lack of long-term planning following Food Charter endorsement