Food Banks Canada works in collaboration with the network of 4,750 food banks and community agencies to ensure access to safe and nutritious food for anyone who needs it within Canada. 

Every organization within the network upholds Food Banks Canada’s Ethical Food Banking Code, ensuring consistent and respectful service for all. Community leaders and volunteers also complete safe food handling training to ensure they maintain the highest safe food handling standards and that everyone across the country who needs food support can feel confident and safe when accessing the services available to them at our food banks. 

Setting the bar high 

To provide the highest levels of safety and dignity in food banking beyond this, Food Banks Canada is proud to announce the launch of a new set of national food bank standards that cover all areas of food bank operations to ensure overall operational excellence across the entire network. 

Designed as a baseline set of standards to which the food banking network holds itself accountable, the Standards of Excellence program provides a framework for food banks to identify opportunities for innovation and performance improvements in the areas of client service and care, food operations, safe food handling and more. The standards also reflect the food banking network’s thought leadership and commitment to continually enhance our collective capabilities to relieve hunger today and prevent hunger tomorrow. 

Food Banks Canada’s Standards of Excellence program provides a framework that will set the foundation for the network to thrive. This means that as the food bank network aligns and becomes accredited through the standards, we have the opportunity to:  

• Advance to an even stronger and more agile food baking system to provide the best service delivery to communities across the country. 
• Activate shared learning to increase innovation and challenge the status quo.   
• Amplify the collective impact of the network on Canada’s food insecurity.   

Over the coming years, Food Banks Canada will be helping the food bank network to adopt these standards by offering instructional videos, grants and other resources at every step of the journey toward accreditation.