West Coast Now
A new series by West Coast Now will celebrate the British Columbians who provide our food from the sea, land, and forests.
The idea for the series came from a simple question: How would our jobs, neighbourhoods, and tables be different if most of our food was provided from inside our own communities?
Food is about more than meals: it’s about good jobs, good places, and good health. It’s about a way of life.
Our grocery stores are marvels, a wealth of choice. But remember the empty grocery shelves at the start of the pandemic, and during the worst of B.C.’s recent storms? And, now, so many people can’t afford to buy those groceries due to inflation that some food banks are overwhelmed.
Today in B.C., most food ingredients are shipped thousands of kilometres before reaching processing plants, and thousands more to reach our dinner plates. How far did your last meal travel from its origin in a net or a farm, to get to your table? Who provided it, shipped it, and prepared it for sale? Who keeps most of the money you spend on groceries?
Most of us don’t have a clue.
Increasing the amount of local food we eat makes us closer to our neighbours. It can also be great for the economy. As Island Good, a program to increase local food production on B.C.’s coast notes, “Every 1% increase in sales of local products equals 50 jobs.”
Our series begins with a look at Skipper Otto’s, a fishing company that aims to connect the people who provide fish with those who eat it – and create good jobs and stronger coastal communities along the way. Click here to read the article.
Expect more stories like this over the coming weeks and months.
