Local governments should take on food
Most local governments do not consider food and nutrition to be part of their mandate. Why is that? And what does success in local involvement look like?
Ryerson University’s Cecilia Rocha, director of the Centre for Studies in Food Security holds up Belo Horizonte, Brazillian a city of 2.5 million, as an example for change.
From the New Resilient:
Since the early 90s, Belo Horizonte has operated a municipal department to address concerns around access to food that the city’s population had long been challenged with. “I don’t think there’s any other city in the world that has had such comprehensive programming developed,” says Rocha.
The ‘programming’ consists of managing four government-operated restaurants throughout the city, where any resident can access nutritious food for incredibly low prices. The city also manages fruit and vegetable outlets offering the produce at controlled prices. Rocha believes that these two programs have been key in explaining why Belo Horizonte is one of the only cities in Brazil where the consumption of fruit and vegetables has increased instead of decreased.
According to Rocha, these programs have significantly reduced infant mortality and malnutrition among the city’s population. The presence of these restaurant and food outlets has also increased the equitable access to food across the city’s income classes.
In Calgary, the budding Food Policy Council was repeatedly refused meetings with the city’s government. While it appears the administration’s attitude may be changing there remains a strong belief that “food” is not the domain of local governments.
People are moving forward on food issues with or without local government. But existing bylaws and zoning can act as impediments or barriers to progress.
As food security becomes more pressing this will either lead to increasing pressure on governments and eventual change, or increasing noncompliance with local regulation.
“We need to first see an acceptance that government should play a more active role in the food system.” Rocha says, “We don’t have that yet here – this mindset, that it’s acceptable to have a more pro-active government in the food sector.”
