On January 26th, 2026 Prime Minister Mark Carney announced new measures to make groceries and other essentials more affordable for Canadians. As of February 2nd, the federal political parties had united to fast track the required legislation through parliament. The measures announced are all steps in the right direction, particularly the targeted income support. But there’s an opportunity here to step back and commit to more bold and integrated food-system transformation, which is urgently needed from a social, economic and environmental point of view. The announcement commits to some of this by promising to buttress domestic food self-sufficiency including support to small and medium enterprises, greenhouses, and to deliver a National Food Security Strategy focused on addressing root causes and other measures. What needs to come next is a clearer vision of what success looks like. A reminder that the 2019 Food Policy for Canada set out such a vision which should inform the current Government of Canada’s next steps:
“All people in Canada are able to access a sufficient amount of safe, nutritious, and culturally diverse food. Canada's food system is resilient and innovative, sustains our environment and supports our economy.”
A progress report five years after the launch of the Food Policy was published in 2024. To be sure, there has been progress, despite the turbulent environment associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and the unexpected curveballs coming from our neighbours to the south. Curiously, the progress report does not address the Healthy Eating Strategy and Canada’s Food Guide, which were referenced as key related federal initiatives in the original 2019 backgrounder. Diet-related disease costs Canada an estimated $28 Billion per year and a report by Heart and Stroke published on February 3rd also points to the impact of diet-related diseases.
So how do we operationalize the vision of the Food Policy and the Prime Minister’s more recent announcements? The case of Brazil - a large, complex federation, which is considered middle-income - might provide “food for thought” as our food-system policy and program landscape evolves.
The Underlying Philosophy of Brazil’s Approach
Brazil views food systems as central to economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection, crucial for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. Brazil’s strategy recognizes that food insecurity is primarily a social protection issue. This means that the country has strengthened programs such as the Bolsa Família - a conditional cash-transfer program targeted to low-income families - and the Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar (PNAE) - national school feeding program serving 40 million students. But means tested programs such as the Bolsa Familia - which went through major turbulence in 2025 due to the country’s financial situation - and the proposed new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit - also targeted to low-income households - have their pros and cons. Some social protection experts argue that universal programs such as Old Age Security (OAS), where the state taxes back the wealthy, are simpler to administer and more politically feasible in the long run. We know that OAS reduces food insecurity in Canada as it serves as a guaranteed income.
Last year, the United Nations declared Brazil as Zero Hunger. But in addition to approaches aimed at reducing inequality and improving nutrition, the country has also instituted progressive policies and programs with respect to food production, distribution and procurement. As one of the world’s largest producers of agricultural products such as soybeans, coffee, sugarcane, beef and chicken, Brazil - like Canada - is home to conventional food production. However, unlike Canada Brazil has also embraced moving toward more sustainable practices, including low-carbon incentives - notably the ABC+ plan, agro-ecology and organic production. Likewise, Brazil invests in research and technology to develop resilient, sustainable, and locally adapted food systems, integrating biodiversity considerations.
Other Pillars of Brazil's Approach: How does Canada stack up?
Canada and Brazil have a number of differences in terms of standards of living, climate and demographics, but we also have similarities, such as being federations and middle powers, for example. While we would need to think through adaptations to suit the Canadian context, here are three things Canada should aspire to learning from Brazil as it begins to define its food security strategy:
- Integrated Governance: Building public policy through strong collaboration between government, civil society, academia, and the private sector, especially through Brazil's National Council for Food and Nutrition Security (CONSEA) and the National Food and Nutrition Security System (SISAN), has been a hallmark of the country’s success. This includes a “feeding cities strategy” aligning municipal policies with other orders of government. Food policy governance in Brazil has inspired scholars and activists around the world, including in Canada. Sadly, Canada’s Food Policy Advisory Council has not been active in recent years and needs to be reactivated. But the municipal level is active in various parts of the country with councils active in Montréal, Vancouver and Ottawa to name a few examples.
- Support for Smallholders: Given the dominance of large agri-food conglomerates around the world, Brazil’s strategy seeks to empower family farmers and small businesses through programs like the Food Purchase Program (PAA) to ensure income, provide food to vulnerable populations, and promote local food systems. It’s encouraging to see the Government of Canada’s commitment to investing in a $150 million Food Security Fund to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) under the existing Regional Tariff Response Initiative. But there is more we could and should learn from the Brazil experience. Public sector procurement focused on SMEs would help bolster the benefits of this type of programming.
- Consumer and Waste Focus: Last but certainly not least, Brazil has focused on promoting healthy diets, building consumer awareness for sustainable choices, and reducing food loss and waste. More systematic work can be done in Canada in this regard and Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy and Food Guide is a good starting point. So too is the Front of Pack labelling, which has finally come into force after a three-year ramp-up to label foods high in sugar, salt and saturated fats. On the food loss and waste front, a 2024 report estimated that 47% of food produced in Canada is wasted. So, there is more we should or could do in Canada in terms of reducing food loss and waste and, furthermore, it’s one of the few areas where civil society and industry agree that there’s a problem that needs to be fixed.
Future Directions for Canada?
Success for Canada going forward rests on enhancing policy alignment. At the federal level, issues affecting food systems are currently siloed between Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Health Canada and Industry Science and Economic Development to name a few departments. We also need to strengthen multi-actor dialogue and coordination at federal, provincial and municipal levels - building on some of the work already happening. Above all, however, we need a commitment to embedding food system transformation into a national plan. Looking to other jurisdictions, including but not limited to Brazil, could be beneficial.
