OFA is pleased to see efforts by the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement to increase Ontario and Canadian business participation in public sector procurement. This is a valuable opportunity to expand access to Ontario grown food in Broader Public Sector (BPS) institutions.

OFA recommends the following:

• Supporting BPS institutions with Food Origin Audits to set benchmarks and track progress in local food procurement.
• Providing local food literacy training for food service managers and staff.
• Facilitating vendor fairs to connect BPS institutions, Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), and local producers.
• Embedding local food procurement goals within RFP processes and amending the BPS Directive to include procurement standards.
• Offering workshops for farmers on procurement timelines, requirements, and opportunities.
• Appointing a Local Food Champion to promote knowledge transfer and identify new opportunities.
• Developing a communication strategy to raise awareness of procurement opportunities among local producers.
• Encouraging BPS institutions to adopt streamlined applications, smaller order volumes, and advance notice of procurement needs to align with seasonal production.
• Providing funding for small-scale processing facilities, shared kitchens, and co-packing lines to build supply capacity.