Flanagan's and Local Line Receive Local Food Champion Award

November 2017

Kitchener, ON, November 9, 2017 – At the Greenbelt Fund Local Food Symposium on November 8, Flanagan Foodservice and Local Line received the Local Food Champion Award in recognition of their partnership to increase local food offerings to Flanagan Foodservice customers using Local Line’s online ordering platform. The award was presented by Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal.

Selected by the Greenbelt Fund, Local Food Champion Awards are presented to people and organizations in the agri-food sector for demonstrating leadership and innovation to create systemic change to get more Ontario food to Ontarians' plates. Flanagan Foodservice and Local Line were recognized for their collaborative approach to increase the choice of local food products for customers by sharing the market.

Flanagan Foodservice and Local Line seized an opportunity to work collaboratively in the competitive agri-food sector. Their partnership has enabled Flanagan Foodservice customers to increase their local food orders by making Local Line’s inventory of products available on Flanagan Foodservice’s procurement platform. At the same time, Local Line has been able to expand its operations and sell to new clients through Flanagan Foodservice’s existing network.

"Flanagan Foodservice and Local Line have taken a uniquely collaborative approach that is increasing the choice available to foodservice buyers when it comes to local products" said Edward McDonnell, CEO of the Greenbelt Fund. "The Greenbelt Fund is very pleased to recognize Local Line and Flanagan Foodservice’s outstanding leadership in this area with the Local Food Champion Award."

“We are delighted to be a recipient of the Local Food Champion award. We recognize the importance of expanding the breadth and depth of Ontario food available to our customers and are proud to collaborate with a Local Line, a technology leader in the agri-food sector,” says Pete Bozzer, Director of Procurement for Flanagan Foodservice. “Our partnership has made it easier for Ontarians to access and enjoy local Ontario food products.”

"Flanagan Foodservice shares our values in making local Ontario food more accessible and made it a priority to offer more local niche products to their customers. We are excited to provide the technology solution to make that happen,” says Cole Jones, CEO of Local Line. “We are grateful to receive the Local Food Champion award and to work with a great partner like Flanagan’s, which provided our local food supplier network with opportunities to foster new relationships through the Flanagan Market.”

“I would like to congratulate Flanagan Foodservice and Local Line on receiving a Local Food Champion Award from the Greenbelt Fund. By working together, you are developing innovative solutions that will help increase the availability of local food within the communities you serve. I salute our Local Food Champions who have gone the extra mile to help get more local food on Ontarians’ plates,” said Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

The Greenbelt Fund also recognized Mohawk College for their project to increase local food sales in Ontario colleges, as well as Dan Munshaw from the City of Thunder Bay for his work in implementing local food policies at the municipal level.

About The Greenbelt Fund

The Greenbelt Fund changes the way we eat food in Ontario. The Fund’s innovative investments get more local food onto the plates of Ontarians. We work with business, institutions and NGOs to make Ontario’s farmers the first choice for consumers. The Fund’s work has generated a 13-fold return on our investments, permanently changed the food value chain and improved local food awareness and education around the province. As a non-for-profit, the Greenbelt Fund is supported by public and private sources. The Local Food Investment Fund is supported by the Government of Ontario.

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