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Mr. Barry Devolin (Haliburton-Kawartha
Lakes-Brock, CPC):
Mr. Speaker,
we are all hearing more and more references to local food, a growing
trend in food production and selling. As the name implies, local
food is all about people buying
and eating food produced in their local area.
There are
three reasons people give for buying local food. Number
one is quality. Local food tastes better, offers superior
nutritional value and is
produced under Canada's world class food safety standards.
Number two is
local jobs. By keeping food dollars in the local economy, people
can support jobs and businesses in their own communities.
Number three
is the environment. Consumers know that the more miles food travels,
the larger its environmental footprint. Local food minimizes this
impact.
The bottom
line is that any reason to buy and eat local food is a good reason.
In the coming months, I encourage everyone to visit farmers markets
and stop at farm gate stands.
It may take a few minutes but I predict that they
will appreciate and enjoy the local food they buy. I know that local
food is not the solution to
every problem facing agriculture, but it does offer
good opportunities for farmers in many parts of Canada.
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