The Eastern Ontario Local Food Conference (EOLFC 2013) provided a great opportunity to share information, learn about success stories and gather information on innovative local food businesses, projects and best practices. The conference was organized by KEDCO (Kingston Economic Development Corporation) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the Ministry of Rural Affairs. The theme of the conference was Innovation Driving Local Food and it was held December 3, 2013 at the Ambassador Hotel in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Jim Slama of Familyfarmed.org keynote presentation on Good Food = Good Business.

2. Definition of Good Food
• Food produced as close to home as
possible, by family farmers and
producers that use sustainable,
humane, and fair practices.
• A rapidly growing movement
driven by strong customer demand.

3. Good Food Movement Has
Roots in Organic Food
• Organic farm pioneers
launched an awareness
of good food
• Healthy Soil = Healthy
Food = Healthy People

4. Sir Albert Howard
1873-1947

5. J.I. Rodale
US Organic Pioneer

6. Soils & Men
Yearbook of Agriculture 1938
by U.S. Department of Agriculture

7. Organic Foods Production Act
of 1990
• Authorized the USDA to create organic standards and
develop the National Organic Program

8. Proposed Organic Standards Inspire
Vast Pro-Organic Campaign
•
•
•
•
Sewage Sludge
Irradiation
Genetic Engineering
Hormones and Antibiotics in Meat
and Dairy

10. USDA Receives 275,000 Comments
Opposing Proposed Standards
Kathleen Merrigan
Appointed AMS
Administrator

11. Explosive Growth with Organic
$31.0
$30
$20
$10
$1
$0
1990
2011
Nearly 20% annual growth
Source: Nutrition Business Journal

12. Explosive Growth with Organic
Organic/Transitioning
All Farms
300,000
250,000
5,000
4,120
250K
200K
4,000
200,000
3,000
2,230
150,000
2,000
100,000
50,000
1,000
0
0
2001
2011
Roughly 20% Decline
Increase in total acreage - Consolidation
Source: Statistics Canada – statcan.gc.ca
2001
2011
Almost 100% Increase
In 2006 an additional 11,937 farms reported
“Organic but Not Certified” status.

13. Explosive Growth with Organic
• Sales of organic up
almost 300% 20062012
• 40% fresh produce
• ~40% Canada grown
• Total Canadian organic
food sales 2012: $3.0B
• Total Canadian
organic market 2012:
Source: Organic Trade Association - http://www.ota.com/pics/media_photos.171.img_filename.pdf
$3.7 Billion

14. US and Canadian Organic
Certification standards are equivalent – 2009 international agreement

15. Challenges with Organic Food

16. Worker Treatment
• Labor treatment left out of
organic standards

18. Food Miles

20. Local is the Hottest Trend
in the Restaurant Industry

21. Farmers’ Market Growth - USA

22. Farmers’ Markets - Canada
$3.09
Billion
Farmers’ Markets
Impact the Whole
Economy!
This was the
economic
impact of
farmers’
Source:
http://www.farmersmarketscanada.ca/
markets
in Canada in
2008
.
Just one of the findings from a new national study—
and a number every policy maker should know.

23. Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA’s)
John Peterson’s film, The Real Dirt on Farmer John is a great story
about his family farm and its path to becoming a successful CSA.

24. Sustainable Animal Production

25. Packaged Goods
• Sales of food by artisans is booming!

26. The Economics of
Local and Organic Agriculture
Jobs
+ Economic Development
+ Strong Public Support
= Opportunity
Photo: Savor Ottawa

28. “Locally Grown Food is
the latest student
cause…The new activist
phrase on campus is eat
local.”
Time Magazine,
“What’s Cooking on
Campus”

29. Local Food Sales
Disparity

30. Scaling Up is the Biggest Challenges in
the Good Food Movement
• 99% of all food consumed flows through wholesale
markets
• Little of this comes from local and sustainable
sources
• Why is this?

31. Not Enough Farmers

32. Lack of Food Processing for
Local/Sustainable Food

33. Lack of Aggregation and
Distribution Infrastructure

34. Good Food is Not Accessible to All
in Urban and Rural Areas

36. Addressing These Barriers will Spur
on the Good Food Revolution!

37. Transparency
• Direct purchasing gives
people the opportunity
to connect with
producers
• Eco-labels give people
more information about
their food

38. Eco Labels
• Organic
• Naturally Grown
• Fair Trade

39. Sustainable Animal Production

40. Programs to Serve Food Deserts
• 1000 Green Cart
Permits are available
in NYC to sell fruits
and vegetables across
all five boroughs
• Mobile Good Food
Market Toronto –
FoodShare Toronto
launched in 2012

41. Urban Agriculture

42. Beginning Farmer Program
• Prairie Crossing Farm
Incubator
• Farm Beginnings
• Hawthorn Valley

43. Just Food Ottawa Start-Up Farms
• Provides Land Access
• Alleviates Some StartUp Risks
• Provides Technical
Assistance
• Provides Access to
Equipment
• 9 Farms Incubated in
2013 Season

44. Greenmarkets US Leader in Food
System Development
• Largest Farmers Market
in America
• Greenmarket Co.
• YouthMarket
• Fresh Bodegas
• New Farmer
Development Program
• EBT at Farmers Markets

46. Connecting Producers with
Wholesale Buyers
FamilyFarmed.org works with:
•
•
•
•
•
Whole Foods
Chipotle
SYSCO
Goodness Greeness
O’Hare and Midway
Airports
• McCormick Place
• Green Chicago
Restaurant Coalition

47. Farm to School Programs
• Increasingly bringing fresh local produce to students
• $6 million in produce from local farms/ABF chicken

48. Wholesale Success
Manual and Training
Teaches farmers about:
•
•
•
•
Post harvest handling
Packing
Maintaining the cold chain
Build relationships with
wholesale buyers.

49. Food Safety Is Key to Ensure the
Growth of the Good Food Movement

50. The On-Farm
Food Safety
Project
• Funded by USDA RMA
• The On-Farm Food Safety Project
(www.onfarmfoodsafety.org) is a website that
helps farmers generate a customized food safety
plan.

51. Why Do Farms
Need a
Food Safety Plan?
 Food Safety is key for farms of all sizes,
regardless of the methods of land
management and cultivation practices
used by the grower.
 Foodborne illness can cause serious
health issues, some even fatal.
 It is often required by wholesale
buyers and for GAP certification.

52. The On-Farm Food Safety
Project
FamilyFarmed.org collaborated with the
following organizations to develop this tool:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Chipotle Mexican Grill
Community Alliance for Family Farms
Compass Group
Cornell University
Earthbound Farm
Farm Aid
FDA
Goodness Greeness
NSF Agriculture (formerly NSF-Davis
Fresh)
• The Organic Center
• Produce Marketing Association
•
•
•
•
•
•
SYSCO
UC Davis
United Fresh
University of Minnesota
USDA/Risk Management Agency
Wallace Center at Winrock
International
• Western Growers
• Wild Farm Alliance
• Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture

53. Elements of a Food
Safety Plan
 A written plan, based on GAP/GHP
guidelines, that is unique to a
particular farm.
 Involves a comprehensive
assessment of risks for food
contamination within an operation.
 Provides thorough documentation
and records of how food was handled
and stored.

54. Risk Areas
The following risk areas are addressed in
the decision tree questioning:











General Requirements
Worker Health and Hygiene
Previous Land Use and Site
Selection
Agricultural Water
Agricultural Chemicals
Animal and Pest Control
Soil Amendments and Manure
Field Harvesting
Transportation (Field to
Packinghouse)
Packinghouse Activities
Final Product Transport

55. Record Keeping
Templates &
Training Materials
 Even if a farm has proper food safety practices,
there is no way to prove they were followed if
they are not documented. Plus, documentation is
often required for wholesale contracts/third
party certification.
 Each risk area section includes Forms and
Training Materials templates to help you
document food safety policies, training logs, and
various checklists.
 All of these documents can be reformatted and
adjusted to the needs of the individual operation.

56. Good Food
Festival & Conference
Good Food Festival & Conference has multiple elements
including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Financing Conference
Trade Show
Policy Summit
Meet the Buyers Event
Farm to School Summit
Festival
Chef demos/workshops

57. Good Food
Festival & Conference
Chicago March
13th-15th, 2014

58. Good Food Innovation
and Financing Program
• Educates investors, bankers,
and other financiers about
business opportunities in local
and sustainable food
• Brings economic development
professionals into the
emerging movement
• Links farmers and food
business owners with capital
• Has connected businesses with
over $5 million in financing,
with the potential to create 300
jobs

59. Farms and Food Businesses are
Landing Financing Through
FamilyFarmed.org Connections

61. Farms and Food Businesses are
Landing Financing Through
FamilyFarmed.org Connections

62. FamilyFarmed.org Food Hub
Consulting
Three packinghouses launched:
• Blue Ridge Produce, VA
• Kankakee, IL
• Madison, WI

63. Building
Successful
Food Hubs

64. Eastern Ontario is a Hotbed of
Good Food Agriculture
• Farms are consolidating across Canada/Ontario
• Small farm geography in Eastern Ontario resisted consolidation
• Local Farms better able to respond to local demand
• Kingston, Ottawa, and Toronto are hubs of development

65. Political Support for
Local Food is Strong
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is also Agriculture Minister
and strong advocate for local food.

66. Good Research and Programs Spur
Eastern Ontario Innovation
• Sustain Ontario Leading
with research on
farming, policy, and
local food business
opportunity
! " " # $ ! &' ( $
%$
)* * " +&, )" * $ $ - . $
)* ,
/ ' . &, )+ . $ .
&0
• Sets stage to spur
innovation in the Good
Food sector

67. Ontario Local Food Act
Enacted Nov. 5th 2013!
1. To foster successful and
resilient local food economies
and systems throughout
Ontario.
2. To increase awareness of local
food in Ontario, including the
diversity of local food.
3. To encourage the development
of new markets for local food.

68. Ontario Local Food Act
New Local Food Fund
$30 Million pledged over
3 years to support
innovative new local food
projects and create jobs

69. Building Distribution Channels
Online Regional Food Hub
• Businesses Create Profiles
• Advertise Products
• Social Network – Style Connections
• Almost 2000 Businesses
• ParticipatingWholesale Distributors
and Retailers
Regional Bricks and Mortar Food
Hub Networking Developing

70. Ontario Greenbelt
1.8 Million Acres
•
•
•
•
Largest permanently protected greenbelt in the world
5500 Farms
Farms are 33% Smaller on Average
12% Higher Gross Income than Average

71. Building a Brand is Critical to Building
Market Share
Savor Ottawa Brands Local Foods in
Restaurants, Butcheries, Farmers’
Markets, and Retail Stores
• Over 350 Member Businesses
• Events to Build New Markets

72. Local Organic Grains and Soy –
Homestead Organics
Building the whole supply chain
Photos courtesy of Tom Manley

73. Grazing Days – Grassfed Beef CSA
Photo courtesy of Paul Slomp and Grazing Days
• 40 Head of Cattle/Year
• Rents land, equipment, freezer
space, and vehicle
• Financed through issuing small
bonds to committed friends and
family
• Identified huge unmet need for
Meat CSA
• Demand far outpaces supply

74. Organic Meadow Co-op
Started in Dundalk, ON
• Began in 1989
• Has grown from 30 member
farmers to over 100
• Largest Organic Cooperative
in Canada
• Only 15-20% of demand for
organic dairy is met by Canada
Farmers
• Must scale up to meet demand

75. Eastern Ontario is Poised for
Growth in Good, Local Food
•
•
•
•
•
•
Research
Education
Financing
New Food Hubs
New Local Food Fund
Technical Assistance for Farmers
and Businesses— Agricultural
Management Institute
Good Food Must Scale Up to Meet Demand and
Grow the Local Economy

76. The Magic of Good Food
“You never change things by fighting the
existing reality. To change something, build a
new model that makes the existing model
obsolete.”
- Buckminster Fuller

77. Get Involved
Sign up for our Newsletter
www.FamilyFarmed.org

78. Contact
•
•
•
•
Jim Slama
www.FamilyFarmed.org
Email: info@familyfarmed.org
Phone: 708-763-9920