Canada hopes new investment will build public trust in the food system
Canada's Minister of Agriculture, Marie Claude Bibeau, has announced a $244,000 investment to support the CCFI's efforts to build trust and transparency in the country's food system.The $244,000 investment will go to the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI).Delivered through the AgriCompetitiveness Program, this investment will help CCFI develop tools to share information with Canadian consumers about food production and enable food producers to share their stories. The investment will support activities like creating new content for CCFI’s It’s Good Canada website, which profiles real farm families and others working in the agricultural supply chain.
By sharing accurate, transparent information about Canadian food production, CCFI will increase trust in the Canadian food system and in those who produce the food that Canadians eat and enjoy.
Making the announcement, Minister Bibeau said, “COVID-19 has meant many Canadians are more interested in where their food comes from. Through this initiative the CCFI will help connect Canadians with food producers, so they can better understand the origin of the food they eat and how it is produced. Our Government will continue to support initiatives that advance public trust in Canada’s food system.”
Canadians are more interested than ever in understanding how their food is grown and the system that brings it from the farm to their tables. Helping consumers better understand this process and agricultural practices more broadly builds trust, which is essential for the sector’s continued growth and long-term prosperity.
John Jamieson, President and CEO of the CCFI said, “We are very excited to receive this funding from the Government of Canada for It’s Good, Canada. Building public trust in Canadian food is an important component of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and this support complements the work we’ve been doing since 2016, when CCFI was formed to help earn public trust in Canada’s food system. This contribution will be used to highlight the outstanding work of farm families and others who continue to deliver safe, nutritious food to Canadians and people around the globe.”
Background
The Canadian Centre for Food Integrity (CCFI) was established in 2016 as a national non-profit charity with a mandate to build public trust in the food system. CCFI is a membership-based organization with members from agri-food corporations, commodity groups, and academia and amplifier organizations. CCFI works to earn Canadians' trust in the food they consume and in the processes and practices that the agri-food industry employs to produce it.
The CCFI recently assumed leadership of Agriculture More Than Ever, a social media channel dedicated to public trust in Canadian agriculture.