In celebration of the abundance of local food producers who exists in the region, Kawartha Lakes has been celebrating Local Food Week from June 2 to 8 by promoting economic development projects and reminding residents where they can find local food.
Held beginning the first Monday in June each year, Local Food Week is a provincial initiative to recognize the farmers, food distributors, retailers, and restaurateurs in Ontario that strengthen the local supply chain.
“Agriculture and food is one of the top sectors (driving economic growth) in Kawartha Lakes,” says Kelly Maloney, economic development officer for agriculture for the City of Kawartha Lakes.
“We can certainly see that around the region, as we have a lot of producers and farmers growing crops. We have over 1,100 farms in Kawartha Lakes and over 200 of them that sell direct to customers, either through a farm stand or farmers’ markets. We also have a growing segment of those producers that are selling their product on a wholesale scale.”
Those looking to source local food can browse Kawartha Choice FarmFresh at kawarthachoice.com, a membership directory created to connect buyers with local food through farms, farmers’ markets, retail stores, restaurants, and agriculture experiences.
A combination of programs begun by Kawartha Lakes and the now-defunct Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, the directory includes members located across both the City of Kawartha Lakes and the city and county of Peterborough.
“Pointing them to the Kawartha Choice website really helps make it easier for people to recognize how much of a bounty we have in our region to be able to shop locally,” says Maloney, noting how member businesses can form their own connections through the platform.
“They can identify and pin a few members that people on their page might be interested in; possibly also vendors at markets that they’re at or producers that have similar growing styles and philosophies. It’s a great way to help people find similar operations.”
Throughout Local Food Week, Kawartha Lakes has also been reminding consumers that local farmers’ markets are now open and has been giving away a limited number of insulated grocery bags with the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh logo. Bags were distributed at the Fenelon Falls Farmers’ Market on Friday, and will be given out at markets in Bobcaygeon, Kinmount, and Lindsay on Saturday.
“Many of the crops that are grown in the fields are becoming ready, and some are just arriving at the farm stands and farmers’ markets with warmer sunny weather,” Maloney says. “It’s a great time to get people to start thinking about supporting their local farmers, but also making sure they know where to find them when they’re ready to purchase.”
During Local Food Week, the City of Kawartha Lakes has also been promoting another ongoing project that supports expanding production, wholesale marketing, and purchasing of local food within Kawartha Lakes, the City of Peterborough, and Peterborough County.
With involvement from 35 local producers and 15 buyers, inclusive of restaurants, retail, and food services, the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale Project is currently in the process of developing an aggregation and distribution system to make local food purchase more accessible.
“It also included a training component and one-on-one coaching component for the producers and for the food buyers to help develop those nuances that work well for either producing or receiving and buying local food from the local community,” says Maloney, noting the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale Project and other food-related programs exist well beyond Local Food Week.
“We have a number of existing programs that help people build their agriculture and food businesses, so we want to help them as much as possible to attract more consumers to find local food at their business. Tying it in with this provincial Local Food Week is a great way to do that.”
For more information about agriculture, food, and agri-business in Kawartha Lakes and to contact Kelly Maloney, visit the City of Kawartha Lakes website.
