Dinner and a Movie with the Ottawa Food Policy Council

Written by Denise Deby.

The food we buy, grow and eat is influenced by a wide range of things, including farming practices, land use planning and zoning, and many different policies in different sectors at various levels of government.

That makes improving the food system a challenge. As a result, many communities are creating food policy councils to bring people from various sectors–farming and food production, health, education, community, business and government–around the same table.

Ottawa’s Food Policy Council launched last year after three years of collaboration among community organizations, government, researchers and individuals to look at food needs in Ottawa and how to address these.

The Ottawa Food Policy Council (OFPC)’s mandate is to work towards making Ottawa’s food system socially and economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and accessible in terms of healthy, affordable, enjoyable and culturally relevant food.

You can learn more about the OFPC this Monday, March 24, 2014 at “Dinner and a Movie,” where OFPC will present some of the work of journalist and author Michael Pollan. Diana Bronson of Food Secure Canada will speak on what’s happening with food policy nationally, and there’ll be information on local food initiatives, too.

The event is free; organizers ask that people bring a serving of vegetables or herbs for a “stone soup” that will be cooked and shared during the evening.

“Dinner and a Movie” is 7-9 p.m. at Dominion-Chalmers Church (355 Cooper at O’Connor).

The Ottawa Food Policy Council’s website has more information on their membership and work.