The local food movement is increasingly present in Canada: provincial and regional initiatives are gaining ground as farmers' markets multiply and as the origin, safety, and impact of the methods by which we conventionally cultivate food are being questioned. There currently are over 2,300 local food initiatives in Canada-10% of these are organized as co-operatives.[1] Canadian farmers' markets have a $3.09 billion economic impact on the economy.[2] The Canadian co-op movement is both rooted in the production and selling of food, and can further empower individuals and groups to reclaim, reinvent, and redefine standards for the production and distribution of food that is healthy for people and the planet while supporting local and sustainable economies. [1]The Lay of the Land. Canadian Co-operative Association, 2009.
"Food organizations, activities, and businesses that support the creation of local food systems in which food is grown, processed and sold within the same geographic region." -Local Food Initiatives in Canada: An Overview and Policy Recommendations, Canadian Co-operative Association, 18 June 2008.
6.1 Procurement
Developing an environmentally sustainable food procurement policy can help co-operatives use their purchasing power to support local farming communities, ecological farming methods, and harvesting practices that have higher standards of ecological management.
Co-ops should encourage the purchasing of food produced by local food co-operatives as much as possible, particularly locally grown, organic vegetables, dairy, and meat. When sourcing any food refer to the following order of preference: 1) local organic, 2) local non-organic, 3) fair trade, and 4) imported organic. Preference should be given to certified organic products, but not at the expense of local organic food that is non-certified due to the expense of the certification process. Imported foods should be certified.
Below are links to certification organizations. Fair Trade Certification
Strategize how to minimize food and beverage waste for events and meetings by providing appropriate serving sizes and donating excess food and beverage to local agencies. Green wastes should remain on site, and the amount of waste going off-site should move towards 0%. With community recycling/composting programs in place, this target should be easy to achieve for green waste. To reduce the amount of overall waste, ensure all food services use reusable or compostable materials. Examples of biodegradable food containers can be found at http://bdfs.net/products.
Food purchasing patterns can be carefully tracked noting sources and costs. The results can be reported in your annual environmental sustainability report.
Local Food Initiatives 
6.1 Procurement
