THUNDER BAY – There’s plenty of locally produced food available for sale in Thunder Bay.
But the key to convincing farmers and other producers to grow more crops, breed more livestock or bake more bread is proving there is a market for their product.
In particular local producers are aiming to change the procurement policies of local public institutions, which spend $10 million annually on food.
Shifting even a tenth of that money could inject $1 million into the local economy, said Amy Bumbacco, co-ordinator of the Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy.
“Local food is extremely important. Its benefits are multi-fold. It has huge economic development benefits to it,” Bumbacco said. “The more you spend, the more it circulates here and builds our agri-food economy.
“Our local institutions are able to set the bar for providing nutritious, tasty, fresh food to the people locally. It’s the local food that retains its nutrients much more than non-local food.”
Much of the infrastructure needed to ensure more local food is produced and sold in the Thunder Bay area is already in place.
There are 13 beef producers, 27 dairy farmers, four pig farmers and seven farms producing poultry and eggs in the district, most within striking distance of the city. There are also five oil seed and grain seed producers in the vicinity.
Well-known local farmer Jodi Belluz was one of several guest speakers to talk at Tuesday’s forum on improving local food procurement policies, and spoke of a new lettuce farmer in the area who turned out great crops in a bad growing season and usually sold out of the leafy vegetable each week at the Country Market.
Customers were amazed at how long the lettuce lasted, forgetting how long it takes to get out-sourced lettuce from California fields to Thunder Bay grocery stores.
They’re thinking about expanding their crop next summer, Belluz said, but it would help knowing they have a market for their lettuce.
“They just cleared another acre-and-a-half to be able to grow their crop next year. They both have full-time jobs and they would love to see one of them not have to work full time – or eventually both of them be full-time on their farm,” Belluz said.
Kendal Donahue, an agriculture development advisor at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said the District of Thunder Bay’s 202 farms produce a diverse supply of food, with more being added each year, thanks in part to the efforts at the Thunder Bay Agricultural Station.
There’s also fresh cheese, pasta, yogurt, hot sauce and maple syrup being produced locally, as well as a new freshwater fish plant.
The availability is starting to change minds when it comes to buying larger quantities of food.
It’s having an impact, Donahue said.
“Part of the reason that we’re seeing a number of businesses grow and diversify and start up is because of the demand by both restaurants and grocery stores that are want to sell local food,” she said. “And also institutions are increasingly starting to buy local.”
The Thunder Bay Country Market, where many local producers sell their wares, is open on Wednesday from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday’s from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
