I haven’t really been talking much about food security lately but it’s often on my mind. It’s shameful that there are people in Canada who cannot afford even a basic nutritious diet. Everyone should have access to affordable healthy food. Food Secure Canada is our national voice for the food security movement in Canada. Their website contains links to food security related publications through the Bits and Bytes link. There’s also a calendar for upcoming events and opportunities to get involved. They’ve also absorbed the People’s Food Policy Project and their report Resetting the Table is available on the website as well. If you don’t know much about food security issues in Canada this website is a good place to begin. And even if you’re already well-informed there’s always more the learn.
Tag Archives: food security
Nutritious Food For All!
After taking yesterday off in a show of support for the SOPA/PIPA protest I’m glad to be back!
For some reason this letter to the editor made it into one of the daily digests of nutrition articles I receive. Although I am not entirely sure what his point was I still felt compelled to comment on a few of the statements he made. He mentions that many seniors are able to eat healthy diets on meagre pensions. This is not, in fact true. Many seniors living on pensions or government benefits are struggling with food security. In Ontario we do an annual costing of a “nutritious food basket” which we then use to determine if particular families and individuals are able to afford a basic nutritious diet. These results consistently show that seniors are one of the populations that may be unable to afford a basic diet. In addition, as dietitians we often hear about seniors surviving on a diet of “tea and toast.”
The author seems to be implying that because seniors can afford a nutritious diet with a limited income that those living on disability pensions or other forms of social assistance must be mismanaging their funds if they are unable to afford a basic nutritious diet. He also mentions that there are people working multiple jobs who are still living in poverty. This is an unfortunate perception that I hear all too often, that there’s a “deserving” poor and an “undeserving” poor. People should not be categorised into deserving and undeserving. No one wants to live in poverty. Everyone deserves the right to a basic nutritious diet. Unfortunately, there are many people in Canada (nearly 10% of the population) who, for various reasons, are unable to afford a basic nutritious diet. Letters like this only serve to further perpetuate negative stereotypes.
Food security
Contrary to popular belief, not all dietitians work in hospitals or client counseling settings. I work in public health and my primary program area is food security. Even when talking about food security with colleagues in different positions I’m met with constant confusion. No, it’s not about locking up our food and protecting it from terrorists. It’s about making sure that everyone is free from hunger. That everyone has access to nutritious, affordable, safe, personally and culturally acceptable foods at all times. And that these foods are accessible in a way that maintains human dignity. Many Canadians are affected by food insecurity. It’s a continuum, and it’s not usually a constant state of being. Some people are food secure at certain times of month, or year, and not at other times. According to the most recent Stats Can data 7.7% of households in Canada were food insecure at some time between 2007 and 2008. Food insecurity can have a direct impact on health. Without a nutritious diet people are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases, have poor birth outcomes, and perform poorly at work and/or school. Food costs are going up, as are many other expenses (such as gas, rent, and utilities) which can impact on the ability to purchase adequate healthy food. Food banks, soup kitchens, and meal programs provide some immediate relief but they are not a long term answer to the core problem, poverty. We need widespread systemic changes in our food systems, social assistance programs, and minimum wage rates. Everyone deserves the right to afford a nutritious diet.
