Lisa Bishop-Spencer
Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Food Integrity
Canadians rely on the food system every day. It’s time to make the people behind it more visible.
While confidence in Canada’s food system is trending upward, issues around food, such as availability, affordability, and sustainability, are still keeping Canadians up at night.
With conflicting experts, catchy headlines, and ample social media conversations on everything food-related, consumers are fed an overwhelming diet of confusing and misleading information. Without a clear understanding of everything involved in bringing food to Canadian tables, we risk eroding confidence in the systems and innovations that sustain this vital infrastructure.
Why does Canada’s food system matter to Canadians?
Canadians have seen firsthand how much they rely on the food system. During COVID-19, it proved remarkably resilient. Today, trade disputes, rising fuel costs, and ongoing affordability concerns are showing how quickly pressure on the system can affect daily life. Still, most Canadians don’t often see the people, skills, and coordination behind every meal.
As one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural goods, the Canadian food system has many layers and complexities. Our food system runs on the hard work of farmers, inspectors, processors, truck drivers, chefs, grocery store clerks, and many more.
Our food system is built by people committed to producing food safely, responsibly, and sustainably while responding to changing consumer expectations and global pressures.
Our food system supports more than two million jobs across Canada and contributes more than $140 billion every year to the national gross domestic product, fueling our communities and economies. The generations of knowledge and tradition in our food system provide a breadth and depth of experience that must also adapt to global trade issues, climate change, and evolving consumer preferences.
Connecting Canadians with their food
Every day, Canadians make decisions about the food they bring into their homes. The more connected people feel to the system behind their food, the more confidence they can have in the choices they make for themselves and their families.
Our food system is built by people committed to producing food safely, responsibly, and sustainably while responding to changing consumer expectations and global pressures.
Canada’s Food System was created to help Canadians better understand the people, choices, and coordination behind the food they rely on every day. Through stories, resources, and conversations from across the country, the initiative helps make the food system more visible, more understandable, and more connected to Canadians’ lives.
Canadians rely on the food system every day. It’s time to get to know it better. Visit CanadasFoodSystem.ca to learn more and join the conversation.
