In December 2024, Wellesley Institute invited partners, collaborators and colleagues who are key voices on food insecurity to participate in a Wellesley Institute policy lab. The objective of the lab was to further develop an idea Wellesley had published in a policy brief that proposed governments consider how they could ensure that the items in Canada’s Nutritious Food Basket be available at a price that everyone could afford. The brief proposed requiring grocers ensure that at least one of each item from the Basket is available at a cost the lowest income families in each region can afford. This document is the outcome of that discussion.
The participants in the policy lab were: Carole L. Chatalalsingh, Director of Professional Practice, College of Dietitians of Ontario | Debbie Field, Coordinator, Coalition for Healthy School Food | Sue Lewis, Vice President, Marketing & Events, Canadian Produce Marketing Association | Richard Matern, Director of Research, Food Banks Canada | Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO, Wellesley Institute | Jesse Rosenberg, Director of Policy, Wellesley Institute | Nick Saul, CEO, Community Food Centres Canada | Anita Stellinga, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Public Policy and Corporate Secretary, United Way Greater Toronto | Sarah Stern, Executive Director, Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security | Alexi White, Director of Systems Change, Maytree.