The Dollars & Sense: Opportunities to Strengthen Southern Ontario's Food System study identifies ways Ontario can make changes to its food system to increase the supply of local food, create jobs, and support healthier lifestyles.
Encompassing the first research of its kind in Canada, the report, produced in partnership with the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, the Metcalf Foundation, and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, looks at a number of scenarios. Key findings include:
- Reducing the top 10 fruit and vegetable imports by 10 per cent and expanding local production would help create 3,400 jobs and boost the province’s GDP by nearly a quarter billion dollars.
- Ontarians adopting a healthier diet leads to higher consumer demand for fruits, vegetables, and some grains. For example, if consumers moved to an ideal level of oat consumption in their diets, 241 jobs would be created and the province’s GDP would grow by more than $14.2 million.
- Transitioning 10 per cent of food consumption to organic would improve farm incomes and reduce the environmental impact of food production, but require imports of many products unless local organic production was increased.
Download Dollars & Sense: Opportunities to Strengthen Southern Ontario's Food System
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword
Executive Summary
Section 1 — Introduction
Section 2 — Crop and Animal Agriculture in Southern Ontario
Section 3 — Southern Ontario Food System Surpluses and Deficits
Section 4 — Economic Impact of Southern Ontario’s Food System
Section 5 — Environmental Impact of Southern Ontario’s Food System
Section 6 — Food System Scenarios and Resulting Impacts
Section 7 — Overview of Findings
Notes, Credits & Acknowledgments
