Charter aims to help make our food system sustainable

The Good Food Dunedin Charter, which describes how we would like our food system to look in the future, is being considered by Dunedin City Council next week.

The charter will help to guide future food policy and actions for Dunedin. It is the culmination of three years of work on food resilience in Dunedin, looking into the sustainability of our food system. It was developed by the Good Food Dunedin Alliance, which received 28 submissions after engaging with the community on the draft charter.

Deputy Mayor Chris Staynes said the charter sets out a vision to guide collective actions in the city and incorporates stakeholder and community feedback. As a result, it now includes three key principles wanted by the community: the food we eat should be good for people, good for the city, and good for the planet.

“The Good Food Dunedin Charter is designed to bring communities and organisations together to create a thriving, food-resilient city. Food gathering and food growing spaces that reflect the values of local iwi are integral to this vision,” Mr Staynes said.

The charter says Good Food aims to find ways to support positive health and social outcomes by advocating for all residents to have easy access to nutritious food. It aims for Dunedin to be part of a food-friendly economy that actively seeks and supports opportunities for growers, producers, consumers, businesses and entrepreneurs. It also aims to support the environment through the development of a sustainable local food system that protects natural resources and ecosystems.

The charter will be presented to the Dunedin City Council’s economic development committee next Tuesday, March 13, for consideration.

If approved, the next step will be asking Dunedin businesses to commit to the charter.

ends

© Scoop Media