Local Food for the Millions
Mandryck (Ontario Food Terminal farmer) opinion
Bruce Nicholas (OFT general manager) opinion
Nick Jennery (Canadian Council of Grocery Distribution CEO) opinion
Harriet Friedmann (professor of sociology) opinion
Lori Stahlbrand (president of Local Food Plus) opinion
Critics and efforts made to address them
Mandryck started attending the terminal market with his father around the age of 16, now a 60ish year old man Mandryck drives his truck to the terminal almost everyday
Multiple suppliers mean more negociations with more buyers and sellers. One supermarket might have to deal with 15 000 different suppliers.
Support region family farm
Ensures uninterrupted supply of affordable fresh food
Public service
Offer opportunity to be players in the food chain
Distribution centres don't hold food for long, and every store only stocks for in a just-in-time replenishment system (just like Toyota's just-in-time production). We saw how global markets got a hold on this system in the recent years because of Covid. This means that resiliency is more of an issue than ever before. (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/business/coronavirus-global-shortages.html)
Mandryck makes the two and a quarter hour drive from his small farm in Simcoe country, north of toronto, where he has grown vegetables since he was a teenager
Mandryck arrives 6 times a week with around 500 bundles of peppers and eggplants, or in the early summer potato's and cabbage
Food in OFT is diverse and cheap
this work is profitable for the family and causes a quiet unusually good financial situation, where they have paid off the farm and the equipment and only have an $80,000 mortgage left on their barn
Food terminal is an important part of a local food system
There are also a rise in buying interest towards more local and sustainable food than in the past. It probably changed compared to the numbers in the text (2007 and 2008), but it is probably still on the high rise. This is ringing a bell in supermarkets.
the family has considered slowing down as Mandryck comes up on retirement age, but with the business continuing to grow by 10 to 15 percent each year they have been able to outsource labour to local pickers and pay them slightly higher than the going rate
The centralisation of food’s entry point is great for organizing distribution to city population
An issue with local farmers is accessibility. It is too much to efforts for grocers and general public to go to each individual farms
while their financial situation is great, during harvest season Mandryck's body definitely takes a toll due to only getting a mere 25 hours of sleep a week
Supermarkets also prevented from buying meat from nearby farmers (Sobeys as an example) as inside policies. So they are limiting themselves in that regards.
while it make take a long time from farm to fork Mandryck contributes to keeping Canadian food remarkably cheap,
Could a local food economy feed everybody in a densely populated area? Or is this long-distance food chain always going to be a burden? It all depends on wether we're gonna be able to change the system from the top down or not.
this helps canada spend a smaller percent of our income on food, Canadians spend 11.68 percent of our income compared to France (15.34) and Vietnam at (64.75) percent
People like Madryck have been supplying Canadians with fresh vegetables for decades and hopefully has and will inspire people to be like him in the future
Advocate of Localized Food Systems
Educational Initiatives and Public Awareness
Impact on Institutional Food Procurement:
Sustainable Agriculture Advocacy
supports farming practices that are ecologically sound, humane, and minimize carbon footprints.
played a pivotal role in ensuring that institutions like universities source a significant percentage of food locally, influencing broader systemic changes.
Involvement in teaching and awareness programs at the University of Toronto highlighted her commitment to educating others about sustainable food systems.
the idea of localized food systems, emphasized in the benefits of sourcing food from nearby areas.
Sees urban agriculture as a key component in developing local food systems and ensuring food security in cities.
Believes in the potential of clean technology to reduce the environmental impact of long-distance food transportation.
Advocates for compensating farmers for their role in environmental stewardship, such as protecting waterways and wildlife habitats.
Supports the idea of creating diverse and resilient food networks that can adapt and evolve, ensuring sustainable food availability for future generations.
Critics may argue that locally produced food is often more expensive than mass-produced items, potentially limiting access for lower-income groups.
They may also question the practicality of growing a significant portion of food locally in urban environments.
To address it: Expansion of urban farming initiatives, rooftop gardens, and community gardens to increase urban food production.
Initiatives like community-supported agriculture and partnerships with local farmers help subsidize costs, making local food more accessible.
Crtitics may also doubt the ability of local food systems to scale up to meet the demands of large populations.
Collaboration between local producers and large institutions plus the integration of technology in farming practices will help efficiency.