Work is slated to begin on Winnipeg’s first food strategy with Food Matters Manitoba heading the effort.
“Food Matters Manitoba has an excellent track record of deliver- ing programs and services in the community, and have been an essential partner in getting the Winnipeg Food Council off the ground,” said St. Vital councillor Brian Mayes, who chairs the food council, in a news release. “Collaborating with them on this next phase of work makes perfect sense.”
The Winnipeg Food Council, an 11-member citizen committee created in 2017, advises Winnipeg’s city council and supports the work of the community to enhance food security and public health.
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Food Matters Manitoba will launch two projects for the Winnipeg Food Council over the next six months, which will form the groundwork for a food strategy, Food Matters policy director Rob Moquin told the Manitoba Co-operator.
The first is a framework to assess and monitor city policies to see which policies relate to food, what is already in place, and what is missing. Moquin said some of the work will centre on what areas of food and food security are the city’s jurisdiction.
This might include zoning and transportation, Moquin added.
The second initiative is a tool kit to conduct a ward-by-ward city food survey. Moquin said this will likely take an assets-based approach, looking for what food resources each community has. He said that while some of the city’s food needs seem obvious, there may be some surprises as neighbourhoods can sometimes hide pockets of food insecurity.
Food Matters Manitoba is slated to begin work mid-July and expects to release more details in the next six months.
