Funding for more local food in N.S.’s public institutions

More local food will be available in Nova Scotia hospitals and universities.

Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow announced the Institutional Development Expansion and Advancement program on Wednesday at the Harvesting Connections Forum in Greenwich, Kings County.

It’s a partnership between the Department of Agriculture and the Nova Scotia Loyal team to build on support for farmers, procurement, and the food system.

The IDEA program has a budget of $860,000, according to a release.

In his statement, Morrow says, “Selling more local foods to hospitals, universities and other public institutions opens up much-needed new market opportunities for our farmers. Together, we can strengthen our local food system and boost our economy.”

Minister of Growth and Development Colton LeBlanc says, “Nova Scotia Loyal helps to turn local pride into local growth. By working together, we are helping farmers and processors grow their businesses while ensuring Nova Scotians in our hospitals and public institutions have access to fresh, healthy, local food.”

The director of engagement and wellness at Dalhousie University Food Services is excited to see focus and investment in this area. Rail-Lee Gardiner says, “There is so much opportunity to build strong relationships between large-scale food service operations and local food producers and businesses. There are unique challenges in procurement for the institutional sector, and it is very encouraging to see Nova Scotia take the time to thoughtfully address them for the benefit of everyone.”

The province says the project supports its mandate to encourage local food consumption, with a goal of having 20 per cent of all food spending by Nova Scotians directly toward locally produced food by 2030.

It says IDEA also aligns with the institutional procurement target of sourcing more than 20 per cent of food used in provincial government institutions from Nova Scotia suppliers.