Item - 2016.HL15.1

The Board of Health:

1.  Directed the Medical Officer of Health to extend the Grab Some Good:  TTC Pop-Up Markets Program until October 2018 at current and additional locations, subject to funding availability, and in consultation with relevant City staff, stakeholders and the Toronto Transit Commission.
 

2.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the TTC and relevant stakeholders, to report back to the Board of Health by December 2018 on the efficacy of this model and recommendations for options to provide good food for TTC commuters.

The Chair advised that Toronto is a signatory to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact together with 120 other cities in the global north and south.  The Chair announced that on October 16th, 2016, World Food Day, Mayors and delegates of signatory cities across the world met at Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome for the second annual Milan Urban Food Policy Pact summit and to present the first Milan Pact awards.  The City of Toronto received an award for the FoodReach procurement project under the Grab Some Good brand.

Toronto, along with cities all over the world, faces numerous health, social and environmental problems related to food. Over the last half-century, there has been a global upsurge in the consumption of meat and processed foods rich in saturated fats, sugars and salts. Meanwhile there has been a steady decline in the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, pulses and whole-grain products. The result is a rise in chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, certain types of cancer and obesity.  Addressing food systems security and a degraded food system is a complex global problem, and a problem that requires innovative and strategic solutions. Municipal Government has a key role to play.

The goal of the Toronto Food Strategy is to champion and support a healthier, more sustainable food system for all Torontonians. The Food Strategy builds upon the work already undertaken by Toronto Public Health (TPH) and other City Divisions and takes an “action research” approach to develop and prototype projects that concentrate on addressing complex, interconnected elements of the food system, preventing chronic disease and promoting good health. This report provides an update on the Toronto Food Strategy and situates the work in the context of global municipal food systems initiatives including the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact to which Toronto is a signatory.  The attached report also provides an overview of current food strategy initiatives to build a healthy, sustainable food system.