Local food hub bringing consumers and producers together in BC’s north
By Eriel Strauch, CFUR/Local Journalism Initiative
The Prince George Food Hub is a citizen-led initiative hoping to localize food production and consumption in the north. The page was started by Local Food PG Society, an eclectic group of farmers, foodies, and chefs who share a mutual goal of initiating conversation about local food throughout Prince George. The Facebook page allows consumers to reach out directly to local food producers in order to buy their products. The group is also working on setting up an online store.
Several similar initiatives are currently active in Prince George, such as the Good Food Box and Poultry for Prince George. Run by the Prince George Public Interest Research Group at UNBC, the Good Food Box is an initiative which provides locals with affordable, local fresh produce boxes monthly. Poultry for Prince George is an advocacy group dedicated to changing the bylaws that prevent backyard chickens within Prince George. These groups and others have seen an increase in engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The increasing desire for food in Prince George to become more localized is rooted in its heavily transport-reliant history of food acquisition. According to research undertaken at UNBC, Prince George and the region could run out of food in two to three days if cut off from the south. Because of this, food scarcity, especially in the face of unanticipated events, is a major concern to a city as remote as Prince George.
Catherine Kendall is a member of the Prince George Food Hub. Kendall, who has also been involved in the regional Farmer’s Institute for the past 15 years, said “we are limited by transport systems that bring food to us. 90% of the food is coming from the South. [The] lower mainland, California, Mexico, and many other countries, and so we are heavily reliant on air and road transport.”
When asked how COVID-19 may have influenced the opinions of residents regarding the importance of local food systems, Kendall said, “I think that COVID has really helped people as individuals understand how really fragile the food systems are because they themselves are seeing that grocery store shelves are going empty quickly when there is a mad dash like a crisis.”
Kendall hopes that through the Prince George Food Hub, more people will be able to learn about the importance of the topic, and find ways they can participate in expanding access to local, sustainable foods.
Listen to the interview here:
CFUR gratefully acknowledges the support of the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Radio Fund of Canada / Fonds canadien de la radio communautaire
@CRFCFCRC
#mycrfcproject