The Toronto Food Policy Council

Food security issues are increasingly preoccupying municipal governments as they grapple with the persistence of hunger, food-related health issues, waste disposal problems and other symptoms of problems in the food system. Over the last decade, the Toronto Food Policy Council has played a leading role in many innovative food security policy and programming initiatives. The Council’s 21 citizen members are appointed by the Toronto Board of Health and its staff of two is employed by Toronto Public Health, but the Council is free to make its own decisions on food policy issues. It acts as a catalyst and broker to help community groups concerned with food issues connect with each other and with relevant public bodies, and provides a forum for discussing and integrating policy issues that often fall between the cracks of established departments. By addressing the environmental, health, community development and economic issues associated with the food system as well as issues of hunger, the Council helps to build community capacity for significant change.

ISBN – 1-894598-97-0