Christian Provenzano eats local

NEWS RELEASE

CHRISTIAN PROVENZANO

************************* Christian Provenzano takes the 100-mile Challenge Liberal Party candidate Christian Provenzano has challenged himself, for 30 days, to eat only foods that are grown, produced and sold within 100 miles of Sault Ste. Marie and area. “It’s not just about supporting our local producers, which is great for the economy; it’s about eating fresh, homegrown healthy food,” Provenzano remarked. The Liberal Party has committed to the first-ever comprehensive national food policy which pledges $80 million for a Buy Local Fund to support local farmers’ markets. “The Algoma Farmer’s Market is a perfect example of the efforts we are trying to support,” Provenzano noted. “Our community has some of the best tasting, highest-quality food in the world, and our national food policy will ensure we see more local food on our dinner plates,” Provenzano said. A future Liberal government will implement a new national food policy focusing on:

- Healthy living, including an $80-million Buy Local Fund to promote farmers markets and home-grown foods, a $40-million Healthy Start program to help 250,000 low-income children access healthy foods, introducing progressive health labelling and tough standards on trans fats, and launching a Healthy Choices program to help Canadians make informed eating decisions. - Safe Food, by implementing all of the Weatherill report recommendations and investing $50 million in improving food inspections and ensuring imported foods meet our tough domestic standards. - Sustainable farm incomes, with a Clean Slate Commitment to build practical, bankable farm programs in partnership with farmers and restore AgriFlex to offer regionally flexible programs that help meet the costs of production. - Environmental farmland stewardship, by strengthening Environmental Farm Plans, improving fertilizer and pesticide management, and rewarding farmers for their role in clean energy production and protecting wildlife habitat. - International leadership, to promote Canadian food internationally and expand Canada’s share of high-value export markets while also fostering food security in Africa and the world’s poorest nations.

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