Cornwall, Ontario – The Ontario Government is launching a celebration of local food in time for the holidays. As people prepare their holiday spread and festive treats, they are invited to share their photographs on social media as part of a Festive Local Food celebration.
“This holiday, think about choosing some of Ontario’s quality produce for your festive traditions. Whether it is Ontario turkey and cranberries for family dinner, a homemade fruit cake with Ontario’s cherries, cheese from your favorite dairy farm, locally crafted candy on your gingerbread house, or any other foods from your community we are looking forward to seeing your festive creations,” said Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
Jim McDonell, MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, encourages people to choose local Ontario foods and share their creations to inspire others and to celebrate their festive, community spirit.
“Growing up on a farm myself, I can personally vouch for the quality agricultural products that residents can purchase locally,” said MPP McDonell. “We also have a great variety of organic produce as well.”
1. Cook, bake or make your favourite dish or dessert using food grown and processed in Ontario – whether for entertaining friends and family, or to give as a gift;
2. Snap a photo and post it to social media between December 6-21 using the hashtags #festiveONTfood and #loveONTfood;
3. Follow us and keep an eye out for your creation! Foodland Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will share holiday inspiration featuring local food on the following channels:
· Foodland on Facebook @FoodlandOntario
· Foodland on Twitter @FoodlandOnt
· Foodland on Instagram @foodlandontario
· OMAFRA on Twitter @OMAFRA
“As you celebrate the holidays it’s the perfect time to celebrate Ontario’s local food which is plentiful all year long,” said MPP McDonell. “We want to see how you get creative with a wide variety of locally grown and produced foods in support of our farmers and food processors.”
Locally sourced seasonal favourites like turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, apples, greenhouse vegetables, eggs, milk, cheese and preserves are all in season. For more helpful hints, consult Foodland Ontario’s Availability Guide and look for the Foodland Ontario symbol whenever you shop for food.
QUICK FACTS
- Our agriculture and agri-food sector is a key driver of Ontario’s economy, contributing $39.5 billion to the province’s GDP and supporting more than 822,000 jobs. That’s nearly one in nine jobs in the province.