Food First NL works with the City of St. John’s to co-chair the St. John’s Food Policy Council. The St. John’s Food Policy Council takes a food system approach to policy and planning. By bringing together different players, the Council works towards a “vision of a local food system where people and place flourish”.
About St. John’s Food Policy Council
St. John’s Food Policy Council is made up of 15 members, who represent a variety of backgrounds, sectors, and communities.
The main functions of the St. John’s Food Policy Council are to discuss food issues, coordinate links between sectors, evaluate and influence policy, and support actions that address local needs and enhance the local food system.
How We Got Started in St. John's
In 2013, City Council supported a recommendation of the the Environmental Advisory Committee to start a food policy council and included the support of a Councillor and staff person. The would bring together citizens, community organizations, industry and government to discuss issues of local relevance. The Council also provides ideas and recommendations for new and/or improved policies, programs, and civic-society interventions to strengthen the regional food system and improve food security.
Building on a stakeholder meeting, with 29 people across areas of the food system, a Working Group was established to guide recruitment and development of the Council. This group reviewed best practices in food policy organizations in other municipalities, created the membership application form, and reviewed applications for membership.
The founding membership of the St. John’s Food Policy Council included government and community members, as well as food industry players, who represented all of the activities of the people and companies who grow, process, distribute, acquire, consume, and dispose of food
