GPO leader Mike Schreiner issued the following statement for Local Food Week:
Local Food Week is celebrated from June 6-10 across Ontario. It signals the arrival of more local fruits and vegetables in our province. It is a reminder for people to look for Ontario food in stores, farmers markets and roadside stands.
Local food and farmers play a key role in the health, environment and economy of Ontario. By buying local, you’re not only about to enjoy nutritious, delicious and environmentally friendly but, but you are also supporting family farms and local economies.
Buying local also means supporting good stewardship of our land, water and air. Food that travels great lengths to reach our plates is a large contributor to the greenhouse gas pollution that causes climate change. Research from Local Food Plus shows that if 10,000 people were to shift $10 per week from imported conventional to local sustainable food, then in one year, they will have offset the greenhouse gas pollution from 1,000 cars, and pumped enough money into the economy to have created 100 jobs.
Your food choices make a difference.
The GPO has a strong history of supporting local food and farmers in Ontario. We have pushed to liberate local breweries from restrictions that limit our access to local beer, advocated for the Local Food Act, spoken out about the need for greater protection of prime farmland from aggregate extraction and development, and fought to ban harmful neonicotinoid pesticides that cause bee deaths, which in turn threatens our local food supply.
Local Food Week is a perfect opportunity to commit to ensuring the protection of our local food sources and to thank Ontario farmers for their hard work and dedication to the land. The GPO remains committed to working with communities across Ontario to support local sustainable food.