OPHA and its partners are leading programs, and advocating for policies, that promote food security for all Ontarians.

Food Security

The OPHA Food Security Network is committed to the following food security goals for Ontarians:

  • Food consumption patterns that maximize health and minimize disease;
  • Guaranteed means to access affordable, nutritious, and personally acceptable food;
  • A sustainable, safe, high-quality food supply;
  • A healthy and sustainable natural environment.

The group's objectives are:

  • To co-operate with provincial and national food security groups;
  • To discuss issues, identify common ground and develop consensus among Active members on key policies and programs;
  • To impact food policy and programming in Ontario and nationally as applicable;
  • To co-ordinate a website to link organizations involved in food security in Ontario;
  • To advocate for sustainable staffing and funding in food security programs (may be based on paid positions with benefits);
  • To advocate for and offer support to develop mechanisms (such as food policy councils or inter-ministerial bodies) to co-ordinate the multi-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional initiatives to achieve food security in Ontario.

The Food Security Workgroup in Action…

The Food Security Workgroup regularly issues letters of support or concern regarding government policies that impact food security for all Ontarians.

Since its inception, the Food Security Workgroup has completed the following projects:

  • In collaboration with the Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition, proposal submitted to support the creation of a model for Good Food Box programs across the province that will help sustain existing programs and faciliate the development of new ones (August, 2009)
  • Support for public health dietitians in the first year of the Nutritious Food Basket protocol (April-June 2009); distribution of package of materials to assist with advocacy and reports to Boards of Health (August 2008; July 2009)
  • Support for the Healthy Food Supplement of $100 per month for social assistance recipients (March, 2009)
  • Input into the revisions of the elementary and secondary school curriculum (February, 2009)
  • Input to Health Canada regarding the high sodium content in processed foods in the Canadian diet (January, 2009)
  • Concern expressed to the Special Diets Expert Review Committee regarding their suggestion that the amount provided to Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program recipients for basic needs was sufficient to purchase the minimum Food Guide Servings outlined in Canada’s Food Guide (October, 2008)
  • Concern expressed to Health Canada (July, 2008) and to Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (May, 2009) regarding the proposed policy to allow “discretionary fortification”
  • Support for the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada position paper on food security (February, 2008)
  • Support for the provincial private member’s bill to prohibit the commercial advertising of food and beverages to children under thirteen years of age in Ontario (April, 2008)
  • Support for farmers to control their own seeds (July, 2005)
  • Endorsement of the Chief Medical Office of Ontario’s report Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives (May, 2005)
  • Created “Foodnet” — the website that served the Food Security workgroup for many years; an electronic network that links organizations involved in food security in Ontario. Succeeded by FoodNet Ontario in 2008 as a broader network of individuals and organizations across Ontario interested in all aspects of food security.
  • Wrote the position paper, A Systemic Approach to Community Food Security: A Role for Public Health [PDF]
  • Reviewed Ontario's Student Nourishment Program, Sharing at the Table: Investing in Ontario’s Children