Ethnic Vegetables: A Case Study

Culturally appropriate foods are those that are pertinent to the specific culture. Food is the cultural heritage of the South Asian people living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Ethnic vegetables play a vital role in the accessibility of culturally appropriate foods. Despite numerous barriers and constraints for the local production of ethnic vegetables increases in recent years especially South Asian ethnic vegetables. The South Asian ethnic group is the largest communities in Canada. Most of the South Asian communities are living in the low-income areas of the GTA having difficulties to access their culturally appropriate foods. Although there are no specific policies to increase the production of ethnic vegetables, a lot of initiatives

Food security has three core components. These are food availability, accessibility and use of food (FAO, 2015, Welsh, 1998). 12.5% of household in Canada are suffering from food insecurity (Boddy and Roblin, 2017). Food insecurity is higher in immigrants compare to the Canadians (Health Canada, 2012, Welsh, 1998, Toronto Food Policy Council, 2013). Moreover, the food desert is another factor of food security where there is a lack of access to the food stores, fruit, and vegetables (Center for Disease control, 2012). Ethnic vegetables play an important role in the food security and nutrition of the South Asian immigrants (Quadir and Danesh,

Would you rather find a bug in your apple and have your salad be on the wilted side, or take a big bite of artificial flavors and chemicals? What would you rather eat for dinner; a quick pick up from a fast food restaurant or a nutritious home cooked meal? For some, there may be no choice but to pick off the dollar menu at McDonalds or Burger King. Due to this circumstance, the consequences include an all-time rise of childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. However, this circumstance is usually due to parents not being around, or a parent not having enough time or money to purchase fresh produce. The access to fresh, local, organic produce is difficult to come by, especially in low-income neighborhoods or towns. “I tend to sympathize

The demand of ethnocultural vegetables in increasing in Ontario; however its preferences in terms of cultural values have a vital role in selecting ethnocultural vegetables. Recently, Campbell, et al examined the cultural preferences of ethnocultural vegetables in Ontario. They examined the consumer preference for external attributes of some ethnic vegetables like okra, yard long bean, and long purple eggplant. They also investigated how wide-scale introduction of United States, Ontario, and Quebec vegetables in Ontario impacts the market of ethnocultural vegetables. The results indicated the differences between ethnic heritage group preferences. Most of the ethnic group like product from their home country. The results also indicated that the external attributes of ethnic vegetables like external appearance, freshness and firmness plays a significant role in purchase decision making. This also varies across ethnic groups

Indigenous foods such as root vegetables, leafy greens, berries, nuts and caribou meat provide adequate complex carbohydrates, vitamins (vitamin C), minerals (iron, calcium), fats and proteins (Kuhnlein, Turner, 1991). Many of these foods are available in the market today; however, 40-70% of Yukon First Nations, Dene/Metis, and Inuit, depending on location and age group, could not afford enough food. In addition, nearly 50% of these people did not have adequate fishing or hunting equipment, and 46% could not afford these activities (Lambden, Receveur, Marshall, Kuhnlein, 2006). Without proper equipment and financial security, obtaining traditional foods is becoming increasingly difficult. Modern processed foods are more readily supplied to remote Aboriginal communities because they are cheaper to produce and purchase and have a longer shelf life. The Government of Canada has provided a Food Mail program to subsidize the cost of transporting more nutritious foods to remote communities, but these foods are usually still too expensive for many families to afford. As a result, many more Aboriginal Peoples are purchasing processed foods, despite the lack of proper nutrients they provide. The shift to processed foods in Aboriginal communities has happened very quickly. Many reasons, including restrictions on hunting and fishing, relocation, cultural disruption, socioeconomic changes and reduced access to land, are

More and more health-conscious individuals are scrutinizing the source of the food their family consumes. However, even the most conscientious consumer is not fully aware of the exhaustive efforts and struggle to get a juicy, ripe strawberry or that plump tomato in the middle of winter, even in Florida. These foods are harvested and picked mostly by seasonal and migrant farm workers. Migrant workers hail, in large part, from Mexico and the Caribbean, and their families often travel with them. Migrant farm workers must endure challenging conditions so that Americans can have the beautiful selection of berries, tomatoes, and other fresh foods often found at places like a farmer’s market or a traditional super market. Seasonal and

Food and vegetables are the important part of the South Asian culture and their culturally appropriate diets (Kahane et. al., 2013, Campbell, 2016, and Sharma et. al., 2014). The lack of culturally appropriate food may cause the intake of unhealthy or highly processed foods and may affect the health condition (Burns, 2004). On the other hand, the sufficient fruit and vegetables lower the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart diseases (Quadir and Danesh, 2010, Kandola et. al., 2016). They think that culturally appropriate food is healthier and fresher and nutritious. However, the price of the ethnic vegetables is often higher than regular Canadian stores. It affects the affordability of immigrants, especially those who are new in

Ethnic consumers prefer fresh over frozen, bulk over packaged and familiar brands versus new brands.

Ethnic diversity is a key driver for global market change. In 2015, Canada imported vegetables that worth approximately $851 million (Statistics Canada 2015). In the GTA alone, ethnic consumers are buying around $400 million ethnic vegetables per year (Harris, 2017). So the market demand of ethnic vegetables creates a niche market in the GTA (Nawaratne and Filson, 2012). The North American ethnic food market is growing by around 5% yearly. In 2010, over 1500 ethnic food products launched in the US which worth about $63 billion (AAFC, 2017). From 2012, annual import of okra is about 3,515 tons which worth $7,758,562 (Elford, 2013). Canada’s internal halal market is about $12 million and globally $580 million per year (AAFC, 2017). The Vineland

Canada’s ethnic food market is growing by 5% every year (Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, 2012). The South Asians are vegetarian and like product from their home country (Campbel, et, al., 2016). It emphasizes the importance of the local production of the South Asian vegetables. This is an alternative food initiative which increases the social justice, reduces food insecurity, improve dietary intake, environment sustainability and community health (Lekkoe, 2011, Carney et al., 2012). The community garden also spaces for citizenship and community development (Armstrong, 2000, Baker, 2004, Kurtz, 2001, and Schmelzkop, 1995).

Over the past decades, the popularity of garlic has increased, and its uses have become more common. This has caused the consumer’s demand for garlic to increase therefore causing more sellers to enter this market to take advantage of the profits that could be made. The documentary “Rotten: Garlic Breath,” shows the relationship between American and Chinese producers of garlic over the timespan of this boom in garlic demand.

Ethnic vegetables play a vital role in food safety and nutrition of the different ethnic groups living in Ontario. The demand for Ethnocultural Vegetables (ECV) is increasing. In the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) alone, the market demand for ethnocultural vegetables is estimated to be $61 million a month (Adekunle et al, 2011), as new immigrants seek culturally appropriate foods. To meet the demand, the government relies on imports of ethnocultural vegetables. However, these are not sufficient enough to meet the demand of increasing immigrant people especially for South Asian (Bangladeshi, Indian and Srilankan). They need to cultivate their own vegetables to meet their health and cultural needs. Many factors determine which ethnic vegetables are

Food costs have been risen more than 42% in the last 10 years and the costs of fruits and vegetables have risen during the years much more than other food products and they are expected to continue growing in the future. This can have a serious impact on the disposable income of consumers who uses significant quantities of fruits and vegetables or they may redirect the consumer to other types of food that are less healthy. (See Fig. 6 & 7).

Government is working on a bill to improve fruit and vegetables supplies, in order to guarantee a continuous supply of horticultural products and to improve market outcome by facilitating better capital access, financing and providing guarantees (TheJakartaPost, 2010). These will prevent shortage of supply in market and will avoid prices to increase. Government will also have to come out with policy in order to achieve goal of equality. Dadi Sudiana, chairperson of Chili Agribusiness Association stated that “We always [profit less] from high priced staple foods such as red chili”. Things get worse when farmers are forced to split their profit with brokers (The

On Saturday, October 7th, 2017, I embarked on an adventure to explore Downsview Farmer’s Market and look into the products that are sold there. Growing up, my parents told me many stories of their regular visits to the market for food. Almost all food in Sri Lanka, is either grown locally or caught fresh at the local bays. They were raised surrounded by a variety of different agriculture, which helped feed the families of the towns, and bring in revenue. On the contrary, the choice of buying local or not, has never crossed my mind. The culture which I was raised in, is very different from that of the people who grew up in Sri Lanka. There, fresh and local food is what is in demand. This is because, in most cases that is all that is