What can eaters do?

for_eaters

Download a PDF version of the toolkit for eaters here.

Create Economic Opportunities

  • Purchase foods grown on nearby farms. Visit your local farmers’ market.
  • Choose local stores and products when possible.
  • Ask for local products at restaurants and stores.
  • Join a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)* initiative and get to know your local growers. (*Community Supported Agriculture is a system that directly links consumers to farmers through the upfront purchase of a share in the harvest. Most CSAs collect the full cost of the share and distribute seasonal harvest once a week throughout the growing season to consumers at local drop-off points.)

Promote Education and Skill Building

  • Participate in training that focuses on nutrition, food safety, growing food and cooking. Involve children when possible.
  • Support or initiate community gardens.
  • Involve children and youth in food preparation.
  • Borrow library books on healthy, seasonal cooking and growing food.
  • Share your knowledge about growing and preparing food.
  • Advocate for more food-related learning opportunities in schools (eg. hands-on cooking classes, gardening activities, food safety).

Maintain a Healthy Ecosystem

  • Eat seasonally when possible (e.g., Ontario strawberries in July).
  • Reduce waste by composting and recycling.
  • Donate excess food to food programs or to farms for livestock feed.
  • Reduce food miles by eating local products.
  • Discourage wasting food.
  • Conserve water; use a rain barrel to collect water for your garden.
  • Forage, harvest and hunt in ways that ensure sustainability.
  • Advocate for, and support organizations, that promote preservation of local waters and farm lands.
  • Purchase food items with less packaging.

Foster Residents’ Health & Well-Being

  • Incorporate more vegetables and fruit into meals and snacks.
  • Establish or volunteer in a community garden.
  • Participate in or initiate a wellness committee at your school, workplace or recreation club to define and implement healthy eating efforts.
  • Support healthy food champions and choices in schools, workplaces, child care centres, recreation settings, and community spaces.
  • Contact the Parry Sound Salvation Army to see how you can support your local Good Food Box program.

Support Equal Access Opportunities

  • Advocate for sufficient social assistance and disability benefits; affordable housing and transportation; and a living wage to ensure access to healthy food for all.
  • Donate only high quality, healthy food to food banks and food drives to increase access to healthy foods.
  • Buy fair trade products.
  • Grow a Row and donate your produce to a local food share program.
  • Join ‘Parry Sound and Area Food Collaborative’ to help promote healthy, sustainable food in the community (Email us at parrysoundareafood@gmail.com to join)

Celebrate Culture & Collaboration

  • Participate in local food festivals and events to celebrate the diversity of food.
  • Model healthy eating behaviours for children and youth.
  • Take time to prepare and enjoy homemade meals with friends and family.
  • Share recipes and gardening tips.

We would like to acknowledge the Guelph Wellington Food Roundtable’s wonderful work creating the Food Charter Toolkit that this document is based on.