COVID-19 and Food
Accessing food has become more challenging for many people during the pandemic. The municipality is addressing food insecurity during COVID-19 by:
1. EMERGENCY FOOD DISTRIBUTION
The municipality is supporting emergency food distribution by redeploying staff to help with the Mobile Food Market’s food packs and emergency hampers. Check out how the Mobile Food Market is supporting access to healthy and affordable food.
2. FOOD PRODUCTION
We've been working to support growing food at home through the distribution of seeds, garden packs and container gardens. Email us for more information on this project.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
SHARE YOUR FOOD STORY - we would like to hear about your experiences with food during COVID-19, to better understand and inform future action.
The Halifax Regional Municipality is an active member in Canada’s Food Communities Network, which is sharing resources and ideas for increasing food security during COVID-19.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
JustFOOD: Action Plan for the Halifax Region
The municipality is committed to promoting community food security. This JustFOOD Action Plan webpage highlights municipal actions and partners in this work, and hosts tools and resources to build understanding and inform action. In December 2019, the municipality strengthened its partnership with the Halifax Food Policy Alliance, by committing to develop an Action Plan together. View the report initiating this work.
The JustFOOD Action Plan will engage with residents and stakeholders and unify efforts to develop “grown in Halifax” solutions. As the first food strategy in our Region, it will create a comprehensive plan to guide actions to improve food security, with clear roles for all actors in the food system and the necessary resources for positive change. Working together, the first step will be to gather feedback on a draft framework of the Plan and engage with the public to shape the Plan’s direction. The Plan will build on three key areas of action, which will evolve as the Plan develops:
• Food for All: easy access to good food & food as a human right
• Recipes for Change: supporting local food, strengthening the food system and increasing governance
• Shifting Food Culture: reconnecting with food and celebrating how it brings us together
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
- PARTNERS
-
Working together to improve access to food and strengthen the local food system.
- PLAN
-
Developing the Action Plan
- Halifax Food Charter
- Shape Your City Project plan & story telling
- ACTIONS
-
Actions to promote food security
- TOOLS
-
Tools for knowledge sharing and learning more:
- Food Assessment Toolkit
- Food For All Mapping App
- RESOURCES
-
Resources to inform action
__________________________________________________________________________
JustFOOD Action Plan Engagement
The JustFOOD Action Plan for the Halifax Region is based on the Halifax Food Charter, which lays out the principles of the Plan and calls us to work together for a Region with a just and sustainable food system, where no one is hungry and everyone has access to healthy food that they enjoy.
- Social Justice
-
We all eat. Everyone deserves to have good food. We should be able to produce, prepare, and access food safely and with dignity.
- Health & Well-Being
-
Food is crucial for health and well-being - it nourishes and connects us. Communities must be supported & empowered to make it easy to grow, get, eat and share good food.
- Environment
-
Food and the earth are precious. We need to produce, share, and eat food in ways that protect the environment and our future.
- Local Economy
- Local food strengthens communities and helps us adapt to changes in the world. Supporting local farmers, fishers and producers is an essential part of the food system.
- Celebration
-
Food brings people together. It helps us celebrate our cultures and traditions and learn more about each other.