Policy. You might think ‘boring!’ when you hear that word. You might be more interested in action when it comes to food related initiatives, but, policy can be very interesting, and fun! Trust us!
Learn from Squam the Squash what food policy councils are all about!
The COFPC works with local government to bring the Central Okanagan community perspective to policy:
So, what exactly is policy? According to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the UN, a policy is a principle or statement of intent that is meant to guide decisions and achieve specific outcomes. You can think about a policy as a hypothesis (“what we hope will happen”) and a set of steps (“how to get there”).
Public policies are those related to governments. But there are a lot of different kinds of policy too! Policies can be adopted by governments, companies, NGOs and even individuals. Policies can also operate at different levels: the global, national, regional, local and organizational levels.
Food policy impacts on how food is produced (and what is produced), processed, distributed, purchased, consumed, protected and disposed of. This means that we do indeed “eat and drink food policy”.
Food policies are designed to influence the operation of the food system. Food policies govern a number of areas, including:
- Food-related industries
- Agricultural and livestock extension
- Food assistance
- Food safety
- Food labelling
- Certification standards
- Development assistance/food aid
- Trade
Not only does the COFPC work on policy issues, we also are involved in food action projects, which also help influence policy!
Here are our recent policy recommendations. We work at the local, provincial, and national level!
Meet Your Municipal Election Candidates – Peachland!
The Central Okanagan Food Policy Council asked the District of Peachland election candidates some important questions on the topic of food security. Karen Mustard took the time to respond to our questions. Thanks so much Karen! Question 1: Across BC, only 5% of the...
Meet Your Municipal Election Candidate – Lake Country!
The Central Okanagan Food Policy Council asked the District of Lake Country election candidates some important questions on the topic of food security. Unfortunately we did not heard back from any of the candidates. There are number of candidates that elected due to...
Meet Your Municipal Election Candidates – West Kelowna!
The Central Okanagan Food Policy Council asked the City of West Kelowna election candidates some important questions on the topic of food security. Here is who responded from the City of West Kelowna: Jerome Chung, Joe Gluska, Doug Findlater, Winston Wammer, Gord...
Meet Your Municipal Election Candidates – Kelowna!
The Central Okanagan Food Policy Council asked the City of Kelowna election candidates some important questions on the topic of food security. Here is who responded from the City of Kelowna: Gail Given, Ryan Donn, Luke Stack, Wayne Carson, Gord Lovegrove, Colin Basran...
Okanagan Bioregion Food System Project
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Institute for Sustainable Food System (ISFS) has officially started the Okanagan Bioregion Food System Project! What is a bioregion?! The ISFS describes bioregions as areas that share similar topography, plant and animal life, and...

Central Okanagan Food Policy Council
PO Box 22001
Kelowna, BC
V1Y 9N9
cofpcs@gmail.com