Food and nutrition policy is in danger of being enshrined in a two-tiered food system
Just two days after the announcement of the most up-to-date data on the level of food insecurity among households across Canada, Minister for Agriculture and Agrifood Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the beginning of a new stage of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund.
It was introduced in 2019 as a component of Canada’s Food Policy; this program provides the infrastructure as well as equipment used by local food charities as the sole federal program to mention the reduction of food insecurity as a part of its purpose. But this method of solving the issue of food insecurity is completely incorrect.
In a period when food insecurity affects nearly one in five Canadians, the most recent research suggests that households with food insecurity have access to food assistance and that by doing so, they can resolve their food security.
Both of these assumptions are not true. The issue is too large, and despite all efforts, food aid organizations can only provide limited support in emergencies.
Food charities are not the answer.
Premier Justin Trudeau described the program as a way of achieving the top goal of the government, ” making life more affordable for Canadians.” Bibeau said it was ” designed to strengthen our local food systems and support the creation of more food banks, community gardens and collective kitchens.”
The most recent announcement of funding is more specific in its assertion that food charities are the answer to hunger. In the press announcement, Bibeau said: ” Now more than ever, we must support the work of organizations and food banks that help those who need it most.”
In the recent House of Commons Question Period, the parliamentary secretary of Bibeau, Francis Drouin, described the money as an investment in food banks ” to help families put food on the table.”
A lot of Canadians are insecure about food.
These comments indicate it is the case that the government views community-based, voluntary food programs as an answer for Canadians who can’t buy food for themselves or their families.
However, Canada’s vast and growing network of food assistance programs isn’t enough to stop the problem from getting out of hand to reduce or even eliminate it. Food-related charities are on the rise. However, more Canadians are impacted by hunger than ever before.
The statistics for 2022 show the following: 6.9 million people living in the provinces of 10, including nearly 1.8 million kids, resided in households that struggled to pay for the food they required. This is more than four times the amount of visits the food pantry receives.
