Helping deliver local food

The Kamloops Food Policy Council is part of a group implementing a new software-based tool to help local food producers bring their products to stores and customers throughout the Interior.

Lindsay Harris, KFPC’s food policy implementation lead, told Castanet Kamloops the Grow and Connect platform aims to provide real-time distribution data to local producers.

This data helps these producers connect with others who can help them more efficiently transport and sell their products. In turn, this increases a community’s access to local goods.

“Producers need a way to sell to customers online through e-commerce, but then they also need a way to learn about the distribution system in the region and to see how food is moving, how they're moving their food, how food can be moved more efficiently, how collaboration between producers can support addressing bottlenecks and barriers in the distribution system,” Harris said.

In a news release, the partners behind Grow and Connect said the software is an interactive supply chain modelling system. They said while they want to see more local food in B.C. Interior stores and restaurants, a lack of transportation options and high costs tends to make things difficult for producers — especially in rural areas.

The software looks to bring together producers to share the cost of transportation and reach new customers.

Kevin McHallam, the founder of Kamloops kombucha company KMK Living, said in a statement the supply chain mapping tool helps businesses like his connect with specialty retailers and customers, and also helps to identify new delivery options for underserved Interior markets.

“These tools facilitate connections and support the growth of sustainable, community-focused food systems,” McHallam said.

KFPC has joined with TruGIS, Selkirk College (Western Kootenay and Boundary Region), Boundary Community Ventures Association and the Central Kootenay Food Policy Council for the project.

Harris said the challenges being encountered in Kamloops with food distribution was similar to what partners were experiencing in other B.C. regions.

“It just made sense to tackle those challenges together,” she said, adding while the focus is currently for the Interior, they hope the project will scale across B.C. and across the country.

Harris said three pilots have been implemented in the Kootenay-Boundary region and Kamloops to help further test the technology tool and ensure producers and retailers are being connected.

“The development of a tool like this is going to be an iterative process — so the more that we can get it into use as early as possible in the process, the better,” Harris said.

While this tool aims to make product distribution more efficient for local businesses, Harris noted shifting from a global food system to a more local food system also has “huge implications” as far as climate change is concerned.

“Local food has a much better climate footprint, and so the more local food that we can be eating in the region, the better,” Harris said.

“When we're transporting that local food around, we definitely want to do that efficiently as well.”

She said they are planning to track metrics for the amount of food miles traveled as much as possible throughout the project, and are hoping to see reduced climate impacts.