The way communities are designed can impact our access to food. Food‐secure communities’ value locally produced food and recognize the importance of preserving and protecting the land, water and other resources needed to produce it. Access to a safe, dependable and affordable supply of healthy food improves individual and community health and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases.

A sustainable local food system approach to food access and food security examines the processes involved to improve the health of people, places, and the environment as well as support economic success.

To learn more about food system processes and consider actions for change check out Local Sustainable Food Systems: Ensuring food for today and our future.

Municipalities can help to create healthy places by including policies in their Official Plans that address food access as well as other health-related issues:  Healthy Community Design: Policy Statements for Official Plans

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario developed a guide to enable municipalities to support Best practices in local food: A guide for municipalities 2013. The guide serves as a tool to enable municipalities to identify, develop and support dynamic local food initiatives and to promote evidence-based decision making regarding local food goals and targets.

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