Item - 2008.GM14.3

The Deputy City Manager, Richard Butts recommends that:

1.         City Council adopt the Local and Sustainable Food Procurement Policy as presented in Appendix A of this report, which establishes that it is the policy of City Council to progressively increase the percentage of food being served at City owned facilities or purchased for City operations from local farms and food that is grown in a sustainable manner, and subject to the adoption of Recommendation (1), it is further recommended that:

a.         the Director of the Toronto Environment Office, the Director of Purchasing and Materials Management and the Division Heads of the five City Divisions (Children Services, Homes for the Aged, Facilities and Real Estate, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and Shelter, Support and Housing Administration) that have the greatest role in implementing this policy provide in May 2009 a report that: 1) establishes a benchmark as to what products currently being consumed are produced locally; 2) establishes annual targets for each Division for the purchase of locally produced and certified local and sustainable food; and 3) identifies estimated financial and operational implications;

b.         the Division Heads of the five City Divisions (Children Services, Homes for the Aged, Facilities and Real Estate, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and Shelter, Support and Housing Administration) that have the greatest role in implementing this policy include in their 2009 operating budget submissions, requests for funds to support implementation of the Local and Sustainable Food Procurement Policy;

c.         the Local and Sustainable Food Procurement Policy be applied on a go forward basis for upcoming RFPs and RFQs for food related procurement and that for existing contracts staff enter into discussions with the vendors to determine where and how the policy could be implemented within the context of existing contracts;

d.         the Province of Ontario be requested to partner with the City of Toronto in this effort and provide funding to help address any increases in operating costs that may occur in City operations that receive significant funds from the Province through implementation of this policy;

e.         the Director of the Toronto Environment Office on behalf of the City of Toronto be authorized, at no financial cost to the City, to enter into for a two-year period a Memorandum of Understanding with the non-profit organization Local Food Plus, in a form and content satisfactory to the City Solicitor, for the purpose of engaging Local Food Plus in assisting the City in identifying food and products that are local and sustainable;

f.          the Director of the Toronto Environment Office, with the assistance of the City Manager’s Office, initiate work with the appropriate City’s Agencies, Boards, Commissions and Corporations to develop a similar policy for their operations and report to the Executive Committee on this work in 2009;

g.         the Director of the Toronto Environment Office be authorized to allocate funds up to $100,000 in 2008 from the approved operating budget for the Live Green Toronto program to assist City Divisions in meeting any cost increases associated with implementation of the Local and Sustainable Food Procurement Policy in 2008; and

h.         the Budget Committee be requested to support potential operating budget increases that may be required to accommodate implementation of the Local and Sustainable Food Procurement Policy in subsequent years.

In July 2007, Council unanimously adopted the Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan, the "Climate Change Action Plan". Included in that plan are directions to take action to promote the production and consumption of locally grown food, including a review of the City’s own food procurement policy. This report offers recommendations for establishing and implementing a local and sustainable food procurement policy for all City operations.

With respect to local and sustainable food, "local" is being defined as food that is grown in the GTA, Greenbelt, and other regions in Ontario, "sustainable" is food produced by farmers who are utilizing food production and processing processes that are environmentally and socially responsible and which will guarantee the lands will be viable for agricultural production for future generations. "Food" includes fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fish and seafood, grains, legumes, nuts, seed, beverages, oils, fats and sweeteners, as well as foods made from a combination of these ingredients.

There is well documented evidence that there is significant greenhouse gas and smog causing emissions associated with the growing, transportation, processing, packaging, and storage and preparation of food. One study in the United States found that of the energy used in the food system, 36% is for production, 24% for transportation and 40% for processing and packaging. In order to achieve the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of the Climate Change Action Plan, action must be taken on all sources of emissions. A shift in consumption to food that is grown locally and in a sustainable manner will help reduce the emissions associated with food transportation and production.