Food Security

HFA4U - Russo
 Learning
Goals
- Define food security and
explain the key
components of it
- Understand the factors
that impact food security
including availability,
accessibility, adequacy,
sustainability, etc.
- Discuss how poverty,
food insecurity and
nutritional status relate
- Explain how food security
is impacted by various
food distribution systems
- Discuss strategies that
would help combat food
insecurity both at the local
What is Food Security?

ACCESSIBLITY AVAILABILITY

ADEQUACY ACCEPTABILITY
 What is Food
Security?
All people
should have
ACCESSIBLIT physical and
Y economic
access to food,
by purchasing
it, growing it, or
trading for it
 What is Food
Security?

All people
AVAILABILIT should be
Y able to get
food
consistently
when they
need it.
 What is Food
Security?
All people should
be able to get
ADEQUACY enough nutritious
food that has been
grown and
prepared safely in
an environmentally
sustainable
manner
 What is Food
Security?
All people should
be able to obtain
ACCEPTABILIT food that meets
Y their cultural
preferences,
religious
requirements, and
or dietary needs.
 Food systems
must be
sustainable!
Food must be
produced, harvested,
processed, distributed
and consumed in a way
that maintains and
enhances the quality of
land, air, and water for
future generation, and
in which people are
able to earn a living
wage in a safe and
healthy working
environment.
All people at all times have the right to food
and all human beings have equal right to
live free from hunger.

People should be able to access the food

they need to prevent malnutrition or
starvation!
 Issues Related to Food Security
• Conditions in which people are born, grow, live and age

are known as the social determinants of health

(SDoH)
 There are complex economic,
geographic, cultural, and political
factors that lead to food
insecurity, including poverty,
Issues isolation, environmental factors,
Related over-harvesting, and lack of
infrastructure
to Food Chronic food insecurity occurs
Security when nutritious food is
unavailable for long periods of
time, leading to prolonged
malnutrition and starvation.
 The
Feminization
of Poverty
• Women represent a
disproportionate
percentage of the
world’s poor because of
bias based on gender
• Fewer women than men
own land or other
property or have
income
• Women also have less
control over how their
earnings are spent.
 The Feminization of
Poverty
When a mother is poor, she is
less likely to eat well when she is
pregnant and her child may be
born underweight and/or
underdeveloped.

This can affect the child’s

physical growth and mental
development, which can then
have an effect on his or her
ability to become self-supporting.
Quality of Food in Low-
income Communities
Research shows that people
who live in low-income
communities often rely on foods
high in carbohydrates, sodium,
sugar, and fat to a greater
extent than people in higher
income groups

These types of processed foods

are often less expensive or
 Isolation
Physical isolation can restrict a person’s access to food and therefore his
or her food security.
These situations can all lead to full insecurity:
• living in a remote location where food is not always available

• living in a city where there is no convenient access to a grocery store

or
having a physical disability that makes shopping for food difficult and
growing or hunting for your own food impossible;
• living in a small community where the special diet you need, such as
gluten-free food if you have celiac disease, is not available.
Environmental Factors
• Natural disasters such as
earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, etc.
can affect not only food accessibility
but also availability, adequacy, and
acceptability

• Environmental degradation is another

cause of food insecurity.

• When plants, animals, and fish cannot

grow abundantly because of extreme
weather events, the food supply is
affected.
Overharvest
ing
When a plant,
animal, or fish
is consumed
at a higher
rate than it
can be
replenished
Socio-cultural Factors
• Food must be safe for
consumption and acceptability
means that food must be
available in a way that does not
compromise a person’s dignity

• What is considered edible varies

from culture to culture and is
often based on religious customs

• For food security to exist, a person

must be able to obtain food that
meets his or her dietary customs
Food Literacy
• Understanding the impact of
your food choices on your
health, the environment, and
your community is another
factor that affects food security

• Knowing what food is

nutritious, how to read food
labels, how to plan meals, and
how to prepare food safely, all
contribute to food security
Improving Food Security
in Canada
The five key components
of food security,
accessibility,
availability, adequacy,
acceptability, and
sustainability, all need
to be addressed to
increase food security in
Canada.
 Community
Supported Agriculture
and Farmers' Markets
Community supported
agriculture (CSA) is an
approach to the food
supply that helps
support local, small-
scale farms and
provide fresh, local
food to consumers.
Farmers' markets are
also becoming more
popular in Canada
Urban Gardens
• Gardens are appearing in schoolyards, rooftops,
community gardens and sidewalks, providing the
opportunity for people to grow food!
 Preserving
Food
• Food preserving helps
promote food security by
giving people the option
of buying foods when
they are on sale, or
picking them when they
are needed
• Buying food in large
quantities is often less
expensive per serving
than buying single-serve
packages, so knowing
how to store and preserve
 Promoting
Traditional
Aboriginal Foods
• Traditional diets of
Aboriginal peoples
are high in protein
and rich in resources
of heart-healthy fats
and micronutrients
• Because traditional
foods have good
nutritional value,
eating them as part
of your diet is one
way to increase food
security
• These began in Toronto and are now being

developed in other communities across

• Canada
They are spaces where people can get groceries, learn

food skills, socialize with others, and help advocate for

change

• It gives all individuals and families, especially those with

Protecting Farmland
• Land that is suitable for
agriculture needs to be
protected to prevent it from
being used for other
purposes such as residential
or commercial development
• Only 6% of the land in
Canada is considered
suitable for agriculture
• Food banks are able to meet a person's
immediate need for food, but they do not
resolve the long-term issue of food insecurity
• Food banks provide groceries for people to
take home and prepare themselves
 Food
Distribution and
Food Security
A food
distribution system
refers to all the steps
in getting food from
where it is grown or
harvested to the
person who eats it.
This is also known as
food supply chain.
 Fair Trade
In trade
negotiations, the
term is used broadly
to argue that
subsidies and hidden
barriers skew the
global trade system
against developing
countries and
commodity
producers.
Co-operatives
• Associations of people who
join together to meet their
common economic, social,
and/or cultural needs through
jointly owned enterprises
• Agricultural co-operatives
exist to provide services to
their members, such as
collective bargaining to get
the best prices on seeds,
supplies, and equipment
Let’s Review
What is the
Can an individual be
What is food security? feminization of poverty
overweight and
Why does it exist? and why is it
malnourished? Explain.
significant?

Look for food prices in

What is Canada’s
Nunavut. What do you
responsibility with
notice? Explain what
regard to food security?
you think is the
Backup your argument
underlying reason for
with facts.
your observations.