Food Distribution Project

When food is treated solely as a commodity, it becomes something to produce and sell, without reference to its environmental or social impact, leading to our current global system of food supply that ignores the costs of global warming, fossil fuel dependence and poor quality caused by systems of long range storage and shipping. This has created a situation in which food is shipped to consumers far away from where it is being grown, leading to a rapidly rising crisis in food quality and community health, while processed foods and especially the new ultra-processed foods are adding additional levels of stress and ill health.

Our team that has been working on Food Storage, Processing and Distribution has set a goal of creating a provincial system for food distribution that recognizes these issues and builds an alternative for more direct provision of local food from producer to consumer.

With this goal in mind, Food Producers Forum has applied to three different agencies for funding to design and then pilot a system consisting of regional food hubs, connected by refrigerated trucks to take food from where it is produced to where it is needed. We have begun defining such a system and if funding is received, will continue to develop details that will make such a system effective and sustainable.

We also see the need for better public education to rebuild awareness and trust in local food, so we have applied for parallel funding and have formed an Education Team to work on that aspect.

The SPD Team (Food Storage/Processing/Distribution) will continue to meet. Let us know if you would like to be part of this work.

We have recently been able to purchase a 25-tonne refrigerated truck for food distribution in Labrador and have had meetings with two trucking companies interested in moving local food. Stay tuned for more developments in this story.