In honour of Ontario’s second annual Local Food Week, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent invites you to join our Chatham-Kent farmers and food partners in this celebration.
Proclaimed under the Local Food Act, the first week of June marks the annual celebration of Local Food Week across all of Ontario. This year, the week-long celebration is set for June 1-7, with farmers, farm organizations, agribusinesses, and government partners hosting events across the province.
Local Food Week gives all the residents of Ontario a chance to put a spotlight on the wide variety of local foods and beverages available year-round.
Ontario is a strong supporter of local food. Since 2003, the province has invested more than $116 million in initiatives and projects that help promote and celebrate the good things that are grown, harvested and made in Ontario.
Here in Chatham-Kent throughout this week, we will celebrate with those who grow, produce, harvest, buy and sell local food products. We will have a number of Chatham-Kent producers telling their stories on our local radio stations.
On Friday, June 5, Delhaven Orchards in Cedar Springs will be the recipient of the Feature Industry of the Month, presented by the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce.
Chatham-Kent has a ‘Buy Local Buy Fresh’ map which shows where you can find what is grown and who grows it.
These maps are free and you can pick one up at municipal service centers, local libraries, tourism outlets, local agricultural businesses, and at the sites listed on the map.
You can also download the map from this website: www.buylocalbuyfreshchathamkent.com
In a recent survey, when deciding what foods to buy, 94.6% of those surveyed indicated it is important that foods have been locally produced.
44% of respondents indicated that locally produced food should be considered either from your community or within 100 miles and 39% indicated that it is considered from Ontario.
93% of respondents stated that they at least some of the time look for locally produced when buying food.
Here in Chatham-Kent, we are fortunate to have access to a wide variety of local fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, eggs, dairy products, processed foods, honey, and maple syrup that are readily available and grown or produced in and around our area.
Whether at roadside farm stands and farm markets during the summer or at food retailers throughout the year, buying local has never been easier or more delicious.
Local Food Week is an excellent way to bring together the farmers who produce our food, the retailers who sell it, the restaurants who prepare it and those who enjoy it every day.
The flag raised on Monday is the Foodland Ontario flag.
Foodland Ontario promotes produce, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as honey and maple syrup producers in Ontario. It is a long-established consumer promotion program of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
From its inception in 1977, Foodland Ontario has partnered with producers to achieve the maximum penetration of the Ontario market by Ontario-produced fresh and processed agricultural products.
On behalf of our citizens here in Chatham-Kent, we thank our many producers for their dedication to agriculture and we encourage everyone to celebrate Local Food Week.
