We envision a vibrant, just and sustainable food system* where:
- all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and culturally-acceptable food for an active and healthy life;
- the principles of ecological sustainability, sustainable livelihoods for food providers, and social justice for all are upheld;
- the local population actively participates in the decision-making processes related to food at a municipal, regional, and national levels;
- people have the desire, opportunity, and means to actively engage in all aspects of the food system; and
- food is celebrated as central to both culture and community.
* The food system consists of all processes and infrastructure involved in feeding a population: growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, marketing, consuming, and disposing of food and food-related items. It also includes the inputs needed and outputs generated at each of these steps.
Just Food's mission is to work towards a vibrant, just and sustainable food system in the Ottawa region*.
* The bulk of our work is in the City of Ottawa and through partnerships expands to include our buy local region of Eastern Ontario/Western Quebec, and beyond.
Our mandate includes the following goals:
- To enhance ongoing access to healthful food, for everyone in the Ottawa region.
- To increase access to locally, ethically, ecologically grown, harvested, raised, and processed food for all
- To support the localization of the food system in partnership with existing and new food providers, producers, processors, etc.
- To nourish partnerships between and amongst individuals, community organizations and others across the food system. In particular, we work to serve the interests of:
- Eaters, with an emphasis on people marginalized by poverty and/or other factors* and;
- Rural and urban food providers. - To develop, link, promote and support local food and food-related initiatives (including health, agriculture, environmental sustainability, social justice, youth, climate change, and biodiversity initiatives, amongst others) in the Ottawa region.
- To act as a community food hub, actively engaging individuals and communities in working and creating a space where people can build knowledge and skills related to food.
- To engage the broader community and decision-makers in food issues, in order to promote linkages between all partners in the food chain, from field to table.
- To produce public information and educational materials on food issues.
* These might include gender, race, ethnicity, age, ability, etc., and the unique ways in which they combine.
The following values guide our decisions, actions and behaviours. We strive to:
- Promote a view of food as key to human identity and community and that advocates localized food systems as key to achieving environmental sustainability and social justice.
- Base our work in a systems approach that recognizes the interdependence and equal importance of working towards a local food system and healthy food access for all.
- Respect the mutuality and diversity of interests of the people and groups with whom we work.
- Work from a basis of trust, mutual understanding and respect, cooperation, equity, integrity, transparency, reliable information and visionary leadership.
- Use consensus-based decision-making processes.