Restaurants Canada welcomed the federal government’s National Food Security Strategy announced Thursday by Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling it an important step toward strengthening Canada’s food system through investments in domestic food production, processing, and distribution infrastructure.
Several recommendations advanced by Restaurants Canada during consultations are reflected in the strategy, including investments in food terminals and food hubs, measures to strengthen competition and consumer affordability, efforts to reduce regulatory barriers, and initiatives aimed at expanding domestic food processing capacity and improving supply-chain resilience, said the organization.
“We were encouraged to see several of the priorities Restaurants Canada advanced during consultations reflected in the final strategy,” said Kelly Higginson, President and CEO of Restaurants Canada. “Food security depends on strong domestic production and processing capacity, efficient distribution networks, competitive markets, and reliable access to food. The strategy recognizes the importance of strengthening each of those elements.”
With the average transaction sitting at approximately $12 per person, restaurants provide an accessible source of nourishment for millions of Canadians. For many Canadians—including busy families, seniors, students, shift workers, travellers, people living in temporary accommodations, and those without access to cooking facilities—restaurants are often the most practical, affordable, and reliable way to obtain meals, said Restaurants Canada.
Every day, Canadians make approximately 23.7 million visits to restaurants. The restaurant industry purchases approximately $43 billion in food and beverages annually, including roughly $30 billion from Canadian suppliers, making it the largest purchaser of Canadian agricultural products. It directly employs 1.2 million Canadians and serves as an important link between producers and consumers across the country, it noted.
“Restaurants operate at the intersection of food production, processing, distribution, labour, affordability, and consumer demand,” said Higginson. “That gives our industry a practical understanding of how food moves through the economy and reaches Canadians. As the strategy is implemented, Restaurants Canada looks forward to contributing that perspective to help advance the government’s objectives and strengthen food security for Canadians.”
Restaurants Canada’s submission to the National Food Security Strategy can be found here.
On Thursday, Prime Minister, Mark Carney, launched Canada’s first-ever National Food Security Strategy. Backed by more than $3 billion in investments over 10 years, this strategy will break open the market for independent retailers, boost domestic food production, and build a stronger, more independent, and more affordable food system for all Canadians, said thegovernment
“Canada is one of the world’s great food producers. But too much of what we grow is processed elsewhere, and too many Canadians still rely on imported food at higher prices. Canadian farmers deserve more options to sell their produce, and Canadians deserve more options for where to buy their food. Canada’s first-ever National Food Security Strategy will help grow and process more food here and put more Canada on Canadian plates – lowering costs, creating jobs, and building a food system that is more resilient, more competitive, and more our own,” said Carney.
The government said the strategy has four objectives:
1. Spur grocery store competition and create more choice for Canadians
- Invest $1 billion in food infrastructure to build new and expanded food terminals and hubs – helping independent grocers buy and move competitively priced products without relying on large retail chains.
- Provide the Competition Bureau and Competition Tribunal with nearly $130 million to investigate, prevent, and combat anti-competitive business practices.
2. Boost domestic food production across Canada
- Launch a new $1 billion Agri-food Project Finance Fund through Farm Credit Canada (FCC) to provide seed capital financing for businesses to expand food processing capacity.
- Establish a $150 million Food Security Fund to help small and medium-sized businesses upgrade their equipment to grow, produce, and process more food in Canada.
- Create a $100 million Collaborative Food Innovation Fund to help producers expand agri-food processing.
3. Grow fruits and vegetables year-round
- Invest $750 million to drastically expand year-round Canadian production of fruits and vegetables, including through greenhouses, vertical farms, and other enclosed growing spaces.
4. Cut red tape across the agricultural supply chain
- Modernize key regulations; speed up approvals for seeds, feed, fertilizers, and veterinary products; and reduce backlogs that slow down the system to reduce the regulatory burden on farmers and producers.
- Help provincially licensed food businesses meet federal requirements so that a Canadian product made in one province or territory can more easily reach a shelf in another.
More from Retail Insider:
