Why home gardeners can't donate their extra veggies to Sudbury food banks

The Greater Sudbury Food Policy Council is urging public health to review its interpretation of a provincial food regulation.

Erica Lagios, the co-ordinator with the food policy council, says she first encountered the regulation and its restrictions earlier this year while working with the Community Garden Network. 

Lagios had been promoting a joint initiative called the Home Garden Project, which was designed to encourage people to use the pandemic as a time to plant their own gardens at home and donate their excess produce to food banks in the region. 

Lagios said she soon learned that donating produce from home or community gardens is in violation of Section 29 of Ontario's Food Premises Regulation. 

"When they are getting food it has to come from a source that is either provincially or federally inspected," she said. "Donations coming from a home garden or a community garden don't receive those kinds of inspections so a food premise like the food bank would not be able to receive donations." 

Request for exemption

In response to the provincial regulation, the food policy council drafted a letter requesting an exemption for food banks. 

Lagios also noted that organizations in other cities in northern Ontario — like the Harvest Algoma Food Resource Centre in Sault Ste Marie — are able to accept produce donations. 

She said since drafting the letter, she's been in contact with the local health unit to find a solution. 

"Could we look at Sault Ste. Marie as an example and connect with their public health unit to find out how they have made this possible?"

Food security amid COVID-19

Dan Xilon, the Sudbury Food Bank's executive director, says the bottom line is there just isn't enough food to go around to feed the city's most vulnerable populations experiencing food scarcity — and regulations like this don't help. 

"The interpretation is quite broad, like I mean, I don't see food banks or food rescue programs officially in there," he said.

He added that the pandemic has only worsened the city's food security issue and not being able to use perfectly good produce is "quite a shame and not very helpful to the people in our community who are hungry." 

Both Lagios and Xilon agree a solution with the health unit can be found.

"I think we can find a way to make this happen ... so that again, people who are growing this really amazing fresh food and want to support others in their community have a way to do so," Lagios said. 

A spokesperson with Public Health Sudbury & Districts says a lawyer is being consulted to review the health unit's interpretation of the regulation.