Food Security In Canada

Food insecurity is a growing problem in Australia’s modern society even though many of us do not even realise. Nutrition is important for a healthy life style but when only two thirds of the land is actually farmable we start to see that less then 4% of people are actually getting all the nutrients needed, to actually be healthy. With Australian soil lacking phosphorus and nitrogen we find it harder to grow crops meaning more people in Australia are going hungry, or starting to become food insecure then there should be. Many factors can lead to someone becoming food insecure, these factors include; climate change, land degradation and water scarcity. Whilst Australia is still a food secure nation there are still many issues threatening our food security.

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

Overall, about 60% of Canadians are eating out one or more times per week, and nearly 40% of Canadians eat out at least a few times per week (16). Moreover, approximately 25-30% of Canadians food spending is on food eaten away from home (16). Canadian consumers face barriers to regularly dining out such as the high levels and wide variation in the calories and sodium content of foods, the large portion sizes, and misleading marketing claims on restaurant menus (16). The Nutrition Facts label, provides nutritional information for food products purchased at grocery stores, however, prior to January 1st 2017, nutrition facts such as the calorie content were not easily accessible for consumers dining at Ontario restaurants (1). Currently, Ontario is the only province in Canada to enforce a calorie labeling legislation in food service operations with 20 or more locations (4).

Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. In the GTA, 44% of the population are immigrants from around the world (Statistics Canada, 2011), who want culturally appropriate foods consistent with their ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Culturally appropriate vegetables plays a vital role in the demand for food, immigrants’ nutritional concerns, and issues related to food safety and nutrition. The market demand of ethno-cultural vegetables has created a niche market in the Canadian vegetable market (Nawaratne and Filson, 2012). However, the sources of these culturally appropriate vegetables are limited. Therefore, to meet the demand of culturally appropriate vegetables, corporate stores have to import these vegetables from

The US Food system has been likened to a lopsided hourglass; several farmers (producers), few input suppliers/intermediaries (processors), and several consumers. For the food system to be truly sustainable there must be a rational and optimized use of the natural resources that underpin food production and processing, such as labor, land, clean water, energy, and other agricultural inputs. Equally, reducing postharvest losses incurred at the various facets of the food chain howbeit on-farm and beyond the farm gate must be an essential component in any strategy to improve food security without increasing the burden on the natural environment. Failure in this regard would have long-term consequences for the sustainability of food production.

In between 1990-92 and 2010-12, the number of undernourished people, who mostly live in developing region, specifically South-Eastern Asia, has been rapidly decreasing for about 44% (FAO, 2012). Through this past few years, communities, government, and practitioners have done many efforts to enhance individual’s food security level. BYRC, or known as Broadway Youth Resource Centre teams up with several programs to provide food, life, housing, employment, and education services to low socioeconomic youths, between age 13-24 years old. Other communities have been working to maintain sustainable food systems through building community gardens, volunteering, and buying local produce. Moreover, government also plays a critical role in subsidizing funds or offering volunteer opportunities and training programs, and finally, practitioner has invented several sustainable agriculture techniques, including organic farming. Unfortunately, these efforts are not well received by every individual in the whole nation, resulting in the expansion number of undernourished people in some other parts of the world, for example in sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia (FAO, 2012). By providing some synergies and tensions between communities, government, and practitioner approaches to improve food security, this paper is assessed to show the reasons why the progress of the efforts is unstable or sometimes diminishes, leading to the results

Access to healthy food is both a human right and an important determinant of health (Foley et al 2009, p 216.). The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines food security as “when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life” coming under “Three Pillars” comprising of food availability, food access and food use (WHO, 2015)

A food secure society is one in which: all people are able to access healthy, nutritious foods, farmers, harvesters, and fishers are economically prosperous and environmentally sustainable, and in which safe and healthy food is available in all communities. In the last several years, provinces have introduced policies and programs to address access to nutritious food, food affordability (particularly for those in remote regions), promoted locally produced food, and encouraged sustainable agricultural practices.

Global food security has become one of the most prominent issues of the decade, as the world’s population, and thus the number of mouths to feed, is expected to reach 9.1 billion people by 2050. Despite growing income levels and overall economic growth, India continues to be one country that is severely affected by food insecurity, with a steady decline in calorie consumption per capita and a rise in levels of the population that have become food-insecure. Due to this confusing and contradictory nature of India’s food security condition, it has become significant in the realm of global food stability. Identifying the major reasons for food insecurity and the uneven impacts associated with food production in India, as well as opportunities for improvement within the country, are essential in hopes of understanding the nature of the global food crisis. While there are undoubtedly several reasons for current threats to food security, a close examination of the current social, economic, and environmental status of India demonstrates that a lack of crop diversification, climate change, and increasing westernization of Indian agricultural systems are three major contributors.

Food security is often defined as the state of having access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. To ensure that all humans are food secure and do not face the scourge of hunger, the world has set for itself an ambitious target of zero hunger by the year 2030 , as part of the sustainable development goals. Much progress has been made to increase food production and yields to meet the growing food demands, however challenges exist that are occasioned by conflict in developing countries, climate change and volatile food prices. There is however need to strengthen food systems and supply chains to reduce inefficiencies and better respond to shocks.

People are continuously losing more and more control over the food that they eat, which is essential for human health and livelihood. This includes lack of access to land to produce that food, seed patenting, food deserts, as well as economic and racial barriers, especially undocumented status and language (Norgaard et al. as quoted in Alkon H. A. & Agyeman J. 2011, p. 1-14, 23-41; Cediel et al. 2013; United States Patten and Trademark Office, 2017)

Lack of a national emergency food organization in Canada affects health negatively. When accessing food banks an address is needed, leaving those who live in absolute poverty without access to basic necessities. Food banks are useful for individuals who are receiving welfare benefits as it helps to provide families with additional food to help them through the month. One of the issues regarding social assistance is the lack of access to fresh produce, due to the fact that it is not affordable and therefore people on social assistance are forced to consume high carb diets resulting in the overall decline of health (Raphael, 2007). In addition to private donations if food banks were funded on provincial or federal level, perhaps the overall health of Canada would improve.

Food security is a fundamental and growing problem in Timor-Leste, a nation that has is still rebuilding from their violent struggle for independence. The country’s turbulent and conflict-filled history, as well as a broad range of political and social issues, have greatly influenced the state of the nation today. Timor-Leste has a well-established dependency on agricultural production that, when it fails, sustains some of the highest levels of food insecurity and poverty in the world. However, the agriculture sector also provides Timor-Leste’s most promising opportunity to develop, reinvent, and implement systems that address underlying threats to food security and economic growth. This essay aims to provide some background

The realization of national food security is a key objective in the agricultural sector. A recent research showed that over 10million people are food insecure with majority of these people living on food relief. The government of Kenya with the support of various organizations has worked to ensure that the Kenyans are food secure.

Food production is the base for food security (Swaminathan and Bhavani, 2013). Food security, both in terms of availability and access to food, poses a challenge to rapidly growing populations, in environments of dwindling land and water resources. India's population is growing faster than its ability to produce rice and wheat (Sengupta, 2008). Although India is a major producer of horticultural crops, many Indians are unable to obtain their daily requirement of fruits and vegetables and the Human Development Index (HDI) is very low. Considerable quantities of fruits and vegetables produced in India go to waste owing to