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June 29, 2020 In

Feed BC

FeedBC in Public-Sector Institutes

Photo by University of the Fraser Valley.

Feed BC in British Columbia’s (B.C.) public post-secondary sector is a partnership initiative led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food partnered with the Ministry of Post Secondary Education and Future Skills, and 20 public post-secondary institutions (PSIs). The Feed BC PSI Partner Program aims to encourage, inspire, and support a shift to more local food in PSI campuses and beyond. Through partnering with Feed BC, PSIs showcase their commitment to sustainability goals and contribute to the economic development of local B.C. communities.

Feed BC was looking for support in planning, developing and managing the network of public sector institutions on an ongoing basis.

Reeve, in partnership with Greenchain Consulting, had previously managed an Advisory Group for Feed BC and had consulted on a Feed BC Value Chain Advisory Group Project. This experience, combined with Reeve’s network of public-sector institutions through Canadian Collaboration for Sustainable Procurement and Greenchain Consulting’s vast knowledge on sustainable food chain practices, meant they were well positioned to help Feed BC achieve success through the PSI Partner Program.

Reeve developed an initial two-year Action Plan for 2021/22 – 2022/23 which set out a vision of a Program that encourages, inspires, and supports a shift to more B.C. foods across its post-secondary Partners. The Action Plan set out four Program objectives to support this vision:

  • Develop tools and resources for the partners,
  • Facilitate collaboration and networking,
  • Build individual capacity, and
  • Deliver measurable impacts.

The Program officially launched in February 2021. Since then, Reeve has continued to support Feed BC in the ongoing management of the Program. Reeve has provided numerous deliverables, in line with the Program Action Plan, including:

  • Network Management Support
  • Tools and Resources including an Indigenous Food Processors and Supplies List and a procurement bidding resource to build local food language into food services procurement
  • 4 partner webinars on tracking expenditures, Indigenous Recipes and Traditional Foods
  • Working Group Facilitation
  • Program Evaluation, including a Progress Report
  • Facilitation support for an in-person Partner Network Summit in June 2022
  • 1:1 support for PSIs looking to track their local food expenditures
  • PSI recruitment and onboarding support
  • A 2023/24 – 2024/25 Program Action Plan

Since launching in 2021, 20 of the 25 B.C. PSIs have committed to being Feed BC partners, the majority of which are now meeting and exceeding a 30% local food target set out by the ministry. The Feed BC Network has also received positive feedback annual review meetings, from webinars and working sessions. Reeve has developed a 2023/24 – 2024/25 Program Action Plan, which sets a roadmap for the Program’s progress to continue.