Thank You to Our Supporters

Thank you to the many organizations and individuals who supported this plan. We are grateful for the guidance of a working group that included organizers, staff, and community volunteers. The support and contributions of community organizations, including the Community Garden Alliance, Community Sector Council Go Getters, Jimmy Pratt Foundation, Eastern Health Wellness Group, and theGreenRock.ca, allowed us to reach hundreds of people for St. John’s Food Assessment focus groups. We would also like to extend our thanks to the more than 1000 people who took part in the household food survey, especially those who shared their experiences of food insecurity.

Throughout this multi-year process, financial support was received from Chevron Canada, City of St. John’s, Eastern Health, Government of NL’s Social Enterprise Action Plan and Community Healthy Living Fund, Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security, Public Health Agency of Canada's Innovation Strategy, Terra Nova Development (which is operated by Suncor and Memorial University), and WeavEast.

Groundwork: The St. John’s Food Assessment

The St. John’s Food Assessment was led by Food First NL between 2020 and early 2022 and laid the groundwork for Food Action in St. John’s: To 2025 and Beyond. Food assessments are a tool used to raise awareness about, and engagement with, food systems issues and opportunities. The information gathered during the assessment can also provide the data and evidence needed by community members to advocate for changes in policy and programming. The St. John’s Food Assessment was a multi-phase, community-led process guided by a working group of people with diverse backgrounds. It inspired local food action, including the creation of Food Action in St. John’s, and built connections within the community that will lead change moving forward. 

St. John’s Food Assessment Phases

Phase One: Background and Planning (2020)

• Developed process proposals and brought together a working group to guide the project

• Created guidelines on using online engagement and evaluation to include a diverse range of voices and strengths from the community

• Conducted a ‘big picture’ review of information on the food system in St. John’s, including policies, programs, and relevant health, environmental, and economic indicators

• Created the first cohort of St. John’s Food Animators to build community capacity and local networks

Phase Two: “Eat the City” Public Engagement (2021–2022)

• Held focus groups, in person and virtual, and informational webinars, reaching more than 130 individuals

• Conducted the St. John’s Household Food Survey, analyzing 802 responses, with representation across all city wards

• Worked with organizational stakeholders and community leaders to identify action areas and set key priorities based on community input 

Learn More about the St. John’s Food Assessment

For more information about the process and findings of the St. John’s Food Assessment, check out the summary report, Eat the City: What We Learned About Food Systems in St. John’s. This report shares information and survey results about food production, distribution, access, consumption, and waste in St. John’s. 

If you want to plan a Community-Led Food Assessment, visit the Food First NL Community-Led Food Assessment resource page.

Using this Plan

This document reflects the needs, priorities, and voices of the community into broader goals and specific activities. By working together, we want to see a stronger food system in St. John’s.

Food Action in St. John’s: Roadmap to 2025 is split into four themes: 

• Good Food Public Policy and Planning

• Growing Variety: Local and Accessible Food

• Connections through Food Programs 

• Youth Raising Awareness

For each theme, there are clear goals and actions towards a stronger food system. These sections have community champions with activities started or planned for the near future. These activities may be ongoing (e.g. participating in working groups and building partnerships), have quick turnarounds (e.g. hosting a webinar), or might take a bit longer to complete (e.g. researching policies).

2025 and Beyond: Longer term goals were identified as important areas of work in the food assessment. Our hope is that, by identifying common issues and goals, we can build partnerships and work within our community to achieve these goals beyond 2025

Please use this information in your own way! You can get involved in an action that’s started, integrate ideas into your own planning, or help advance longer term change. We’ve included a food action planning tool to guide and sustain community-based actions. 
Please reach out to Food First NL as a resource for best practices and as a potential partner.

Our food system is one where the human right to food is not only recognized but prioritized. We imagine a city where all residents live with the ability to afford, access, and enjoy the food that they want. 

We recognize the human right to food. We imagine a city in which all residents live with dignity and have access to adequate and nutritious food. To achieve this, we must work together to eliminate poverty, by addressing income, housing, transportation, and childcare.

Many people wanted to see different options, from the type, variety, and cost of food availability locally. Food offers an important connection to ‘home’, whether you grew up in town or are a newcomer.   Municipalities are increasingly taking a strategic role in supporting sustainable food systems, for the economic, social, and environmental benefits. 

This section includes ways to support commercial food producers, alongside home-grown and wild food to increase the variety of  foods grown, fished, picked, and prepared right in St. John’s,

We value the personal and cultural relationship to food, and seek connections that nourish our communities. 

Community organizations are active in food education and awareness programming, as well as food-related services and resources. This includes informal neighborhood groups, nonprofits and charities, as well as larger campaigns for social change.  This plan promotes better coordination and collaboration among food programs, and connecting that work with policymakers.

Raising Awareness about food security and food system issues was an important value for youth under 30, engaged with the food assessment. Community organizations can partner with youth-led organizations and initiatives, and share their capacity, to mutual benefit. Organizations and policy makers need policies and practices that ensure meaningful engagement of youth and young adult voices.