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BMO's million-dollar gift to the Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy and its strategic academic partners will promote understanding of food systems for generations to come
CALGARY, AB, July 3, 2024 /CNW/ - The Simpson Centre for Food and Agricultural Policy at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy today announced a $1 million donation from BMO to launch a ground-breaking program to change how society perceives and interacts with the food system. The program, Ag Literacy for Healthier People and Planet, will help build understanding about the complexities of the agricultural system in a world where the food we eat plays a crucial role in both our health and the health of our planet.
The Simpson Centre and its strategic academic partners – 13 universities across Canada, as well as Stanford University in the U.S. – will conduct outreach and research on food systems over a period of approximately five years, to foster a deeper understanding of the food choices we make and inform the design of agricultural policies. Through targeted outreach and research, the Centre will work to promote positive change in food habits and agricultural policies.
"BMO is a proud partner of Ag Literacy for Healthier People and Planet to help broaden the understanding and importance of sustainable innovation within the agricultural food system and how our communities interact with it," said Helen Seibel, Head, Employee & Community Giving, BMO. "Supporting agricultural excellence in next generations of students across Canada and the U.S. aligns with BMO's Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life and demonstrates how we are driving progress for a sustainable future."
The program will deliver a variety of written, digital resources to educate the public on controversial issues in the food system like the use of GMO, pesticides, and food labels, also surveying consumer knowledge, and actively engaging with citizens.
Guillaume Lhermie, Director of the Simpson Centre said "The program is designed to reach a broad range of audiences, including formal stakeholders such as research, industry, and government, as well as informal audiences such as consumers and citizens. We are particularly focused on engaging young adults and teenagers who are active on social media and eager to participate in shaping the future of food systems."
BMO Gives. Good grows here.
Helping communities thrive by supporting the organizations that sustain them and encouraging employee giving and volunteerism is at the heart of BMO's Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. In 2023, our social impact included more than $84 million donated to hundreds of charities and non-profit organizations across North America to help drive progress by enabling individuals to thrive and communities to prosper. Our colleagues spent almost 62,000 hours volunteering in the community and contributed more than $31.2 million of donations through our annual employee giving program. For more information, please visit BMO.com.