NEWS - September 17, 2025

Economic Nutrition: Coming to an Organization Near You

Posted by Shorefast Institute
Shorefast is about to roll out our Economic Nutrition initiative across Canada – and we’re inviting you to join us. Economic Nutrition is a practice and framework designed to help people and organizations make informed purchasing decisions that support local economies. And it couldn’t be launching at a better time.

“By highlighting the true economic impact behind every pint, we can strengthen trust with our customers and inspire others to invest in their communities. We’re excited to help set a new standard for local businesses that value both great products and meaningful impact”

– Sussex Ale Works, Sussex, New Brunswick

Now more than ever Canadians are looking for ways to invest locally and ethically. This shift is here to stay, no doubt encouraged by the recent Buy Canada policy. But here’s the problem: it’s difficult for people to know the full story of the products and services they purchase. It’s hard to know where their money goes. Businesses, moreover, are missing the tools and resources they need to showcase the impact of their sourcing and employment principles.
That is, until now.
Originally developed in 2018 by Shorefast to showcase Fogo Island Inn’s community reinvestment approach, the Economic Nutrition Certification – which mimics the design of food nutrition labelling - makes local economic impact more visible by publicly displaying where the money goes when someone makes a purchase.
Integral to Shorefast’s reframing of the economy around the notion of place, Economic Nutrition allows businesses to demonstrate how their procurement choices support people and place – offering more meaningful information than “made in” labels alone.

Meet the Inaugural Cohort of Economic Nutrition Partners

Mid-way through the inaugural EN Certification process, many partners are completing the first drafts of their labels and will soon be collecting data on how their certification will shift both business and consumer purchasing behaviours.

The program has been chock-full of thoughtful, purposeful learnings. And we’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our first cohort.

“We joined the Economic Nutrition Pilot to ensure transparency and accountability in how cultural funding and procurement impact our Mi’kmaw communities,” explains a participant from the Mi’kmaw Cultural Foundation Incorporated. “By participating, we hope to amplify the social and economic value of our work, especially for youth, Elders, and land-based practitioners.”

Economic Nutrition is a powerful tool that encourages people to invest in the future of local economies – and now it’s setting sail for more places across Canada.

Ready to show where your money goes?

  • Join the Economic NutritionCM waitlist and be the first to be notified about early Certification access and opportunities

Join our Economic Nutrition Certification Waitlist

  • Pre-register for the Economic Nutrition Course – This summer, as part of our Putting the E in ABCDE Toolset, we are releasing a Beyond Buy Local: Getting Started with Economic Nutrition Guide.

Pre-register for this course here.