News release

Public Engagement on Food and Beverage Strategy

Agriculture

Nova Scotians are encouraged to share their views on what the government can do to help get more healthy, local food onto kitchen tables.

“This government has aggressive goals when it comes to buying local – we want 20 per cent of all the money spent on food in Nova Scotia to be on local food,” said Agriculture Minister Greg Morrow. “Not everyone has easy access to healthy, local food, and we want to help change that. Your input will help us develop a food and beverage strategy that reflects the priorities of all Nova Scotians – the people who produce food, the people who buy it, and the community partners who help connect the two.”

Representatives from 12 government departments worked together to identify and better understand the programs currently in place to increase awareness and production of, and access to, healthy local food, from industry development and buy-local initiatives to school healthy eating and food security programs. They also
met with close to 100 key partners involved in the food system, including primary producers, retail partners and food banks.

This information, along with input from Nova Scotians, will be used to develop the food and beverage strategy.

Public engagement opens today, November 25, and continues through December 23. People can provide anonymous feedback through an online survey.

The strategy will guide the government’s work and the work of industry and community partners to:

  • improve access to healthy food
  • increase food production
  • support economic development
  • create a more diverse and inclusive food system.

The survey and a public input guide are available at: https://novascotia.ca/food-and-beverage-strategy-engagement

To complete the survey by phone, or for assistance completing the survey online, people can call the Department of Agriculture toll-free at 1-800-279-0825 or email foodstrategy@novascotia.ca