Canada’s agriculture and agri-food system are made up of a wide range of stakeholders, each of which plays an essential role in the system as a whole. These stakeholders have a growing interest in food issues, whether they relate to the food itself, the way it is produced, or its role in the economy. A Food Policy for Canada would cover issues affecting the entire food system, including production, processing, distribution, and consumption. Around 40,000 Canadians provided input on four key themes:3 increasing access to affordable food; improving health and food safety; conserving our soil, water, and air, and growing more high-quality food.
The Key input –
- Increasing access to affordable food
Increasing Access to Affordable Food Witnesses told the Committee that despite the abundance of food in Canada, not all Canadians have access to affordable food. On average, Canadians devote 14% of their income to food purchases, of which 10% represents groceries and 4% represents restaurant expenditures. Some witnesses argued that Canada is one of the countries where households devote the lowest proportion of their income to food.
- Improving health and food safety
Food safety is unquestionably the top priority of the agriculture and agri-food sector, which continually works to improve food safety and animal welfare. The agriculture sector and the seafood industry are among the most highly regulated sectors as regards food safety
- Conserving our soil, water, and air
Clean water and healthy soil are essential resources for agriculture. The production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food, as well as food loss and waste, have impacts on the environment. These impacts may include greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, soil degradation, water pollution, and biodiversity loss.
- Growing more high-quality food.
According to the report of the Advisory Council on Economic Growth, chaired by Dominic Barton, the agri-food sector will become one of the largest economic sectors in the world. Similarly, Budget 2017 identified the agri-food sector as an engine of economic growth.62 Budget 2017 recognized the potential growth of the agriculture and agri-food sector, setting an ambitious target of increasing agri-food exports from $55 billion to $75 billion by 2025.
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