Item - 2019.HL10.2

The Board of Health recommends that:

1.  City Council direct the City Manager to report in the second quarter of 2020 with a plan and timelines for the City of Toronto to implement the short-term and long-term goals of the 2015 Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, to which the City is a signatory city, and the C40 Good Food Cities Declaration, which was signed by Mayor John Tory on October 10, 2019 in Copenhagen, Denmark, including those pertaining to food procurement, consumption, and food loss and waste.

2.  City Council commit to achieving the World Resources Institute's Cool Food Pledge to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the food the City of Toronto procures by 25 percent by 2030 relative to 2015 and request the City Manager to report in the second quarter of 2020 on a plan and timelines to implement the goals of the Pledge.

The Board of Health:

1.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with appropriate City Divisions, residents, the private sector, and community and institutional partners, to implement the following actions as a signatory city to the C40 Good Food Cities Declaration:

a.  Procurement - Align food procurement in the City of Toronto to the Planetary Health Diet and the 2019 Canada's Food Guide, which includes healthier, plant-based, and sustainable food options;

b.  Consumption - Support an overall increase in the consumption of healthy, plant-based foods by shifting away from unsustainable, unhealthy diets; and

c.  Food Loss and Waste - Reduce food loss and waste and create a circular economy for food.

The Manager, Food Strategy, Toronto Public Health, gave a presentation on Food Systems Transformation - Toronto Food Strategy.

The World Health Organization and The Lancet have called climate change the greatest threat and opportunity for global health in the 21st century. The dynamic relationship between food and climate change, and the resulting impact on human health, is a key dimension of this work and global and local calls to action.

There is growing evidence that food systems must change to combat the current climate crisis and promote food security. Cities can make impactful changes by changing how they procure food and by influencing the public's dietary behaviours. They can also take steps to reduce food loss and waste from the food they procure and prepare and set an example for the food service and hospitality industry. This staff report outlines strategic opportunities and recommended areas of action for Toronto Public Health and the City of Toronto to support both food systems transformation and climate change action to improve the health of our communities, as outlined in the attached Food Systems Transformation and Toronto Food Strategy 2019 Update report. The recommendations below reflect the intent and commitments outlined in the C40 Good Food Cities Declaration signed by the Mayor of Toronto and released at the C40 Mayoral Summit in Copenhagen in October 2019 and are supported by the scientific evidence regarding the need for food systems transformation to mitigate and adapt to climate change.