April 1st Workshop - Learn to Grow Food in a Container Garden

March 15 - Explore the Income-Food Connection

Join us March 15 @ Burnaby Neighbourhood House (Metrotown) (6:30 - 8:30pm)

Speakers, Q&A and Discussion

According to the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition a leading cause of health problems is lack of food. "B.C. is facing a chronic hunger problem and significant food insecurity. After paying for rent, heat and electricity, people with low income have little money left over for food so they are less likely to eat fruit, vegetables, milk products, and other food that provide the nutrients they need for good health."

SPEAKERS: 

Trish Garner, Community Organizer of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, will provide inspiration and practical tools to support you in becoming a champion for change in tackling the root causes of poverty. The BC Poverty Reduction Coalition is a broad-based network of over 400 organizations throughout BC. Trish will talk about a variety of ways to support the provincial call for a poverty reduction plan for BC through community engagement, public education and effective advocacy. Trish provides a space for everyone to get involved. Trish is the co-author of A Poverty Reduction Plan for BC and a regular media contributor and commentator.

Amy Weeks is the Food and Education Coordinator for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank (GVFB). Amy has been working with and supporting community organizations and their food programs for over 10 years. Amy will talk about The Role of Food Programming and how it contributes to community connection and resilience.

Come and join a community conversation on how we can all advocate for greater equality and a more food secure future.

Register at Eventbrite: https://incomefoodconnection.eventbrite.com

March 15 Discussion - Income & Food Connection

Join Burnaby Food First to discuss the links between income & food, find out what exists in our community to decrease food insecurity, and explore solutions to hunger in Burnaby.

To participate, please register on Eventbrite (information below):

Be a Food Hero: Come Learn How to Stop Food Waste (March 7)

March 4: Rally Against Poverty / March 15: Discussion - Income & Food

Community Garden Planning in Burnaby Takes Root

On Saturday, February 25, Burnaby Food First hosted a Community Garden Planning workshop at Burnaby Village Museum. The idea was to get people thinking about available public land that might be suitable for community gardens. The intention was to plant the seeds of an idea...

Workshop facilitator Grant Rice soon discovered that those seeds had already been planted: many of the Burnaby community members who showed up had already picked out a potential garden site. They had come to find out how to make their gardens a reality.

Presentations by guests Jason Hsieh and Michael Denhamer helped participants look more specifically at opportunities, barriers and ways forward for the development of their imagined community gardens.

Hsieh spoke about his experience with the City of Vancouver, and walked participants through different guidelines and municipal policies that frame the process of establishing a community garden in Vancouver.

Denhamer, who works with Can You Dig It, explained the support that his organization can offer community garden groups in creating sustainable projects that become community assets. Can You Dig It has already helped communities create thriving gardens through 3-year commitments that aid in: navigating application processes and grant applications, locating infrastructure (such as water sources), licensing and insuring the garden, and helping new community gardeners establish governance.

This process was discussed at length in the small groups that formed following the presentations. Grant Rice, events and conference coordinator for Burnaby Food First, passed around maps of Burnaby and encouraged people to identify sites with the potential to become garden spaces. Working with Burnaby's website and maps, he helped participants examine the zoning and context of the sites.

Community gardens are more than communal green spaces. As Denhamer remarked, "community gardens grow food and cultivate community." Many of those who came would like to meet further to discuss future projects and next steps. Rev Kunz, who manages the Gathering Burnaby Gardeners Facebook group hopes that interested community members will get in touch through her page.

The afternoon was an exciting opportunity for Burnaby Food First to meet with local citizens who are spearheading gardening projects in their neighbourhoods. We hope this will become the next step of a greener Burnaby that provides greater food security within our municipality.


Many thanks to the United Way Lower Mainland for their continued support of Burnaby Food First initiatives, and to Burnaby Village Museum for the use of their facilities for our community workshop last weekend.

March 4 - Join Burnaby Food First at the Rally to Reduce Poverty in BC

This Saturday, come meet us @ noon at Library Square (350 W. Georgia) and raise your voice: call out for a strategy to end poverty in the province.

What does poverty mean to Burnaby Food First?

• Students and employees cannot afford to eat 3 times a day
• Invisible hunger: malnutrition results from a lack of affordable nutritious food
• Families cannot afford to eat a variety of foods
• People on fixed incomes may not be able to fit nutritious meals into their budget
• More and more people do not have access to land, & cannot grow food to supplement their diet
• Local farmers struggle to put food on our table

 

Raise your voice for empty stomachs! Come find Burnaby Food First at the rally:

Best Wishes for Healthy Holidays!

Upcoming December Workshops from Burnaby Food First

Be a food hero: learn how to rescue food

Join Burnaby Food First on Tuesday, November 29 for a film screening about food waste and food rescue. Registration details for our "Just Eat It" event are coming soon!

Doing More with your Bread Basket

Doing More with your Bread Basket

What: Learn what to do with your leftover bread, pita, tortilla & rolls
When: Monday, October 17th, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Where: Tommy Douglas Branch, Burnaby Public Library
Cost: FREE
Registration Required:
Contact Meghan by e-mail: burnabyfoodfirst@gmail.com, or phone: 604-209-2404

Greater Vancouver Food Bank Fall Workshop Series

Join the Greater Vancouver Food Bank for 5 workshops this fall:

Poster Courtesy of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank

 

Click on the events below for details, including times, registration and cost.

October 13th: Free Community Kitchen Round Table

October 21st: Community Kitchen Leadership

November 3rd: Knife Skills

November 17th: Let's Talk Food Access

November 21st: Food Sovereignty and Food Justice

We're still excited!

Dear Food First-ers:

We're still excited from our Food Forum on June 8th! A big thank you again to everyone that attended, volunteered, donated or participated. We are grateful! There was also lots of 'food for thought' from the many fascinating speakers that took part. 

 A popular topic of the day was Food Waste. To help us understand the problem and what we can do about it as individuals, in our jobs, and in our society Jennifer Rustemeyer was one of our great speakers. She spoke on her recent documentary: Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story. We throw away approximately 40 per cent of food in the garbage! This is a staggering number. 

Credit: Eoghan 

Image from: www.foodwastemovie.com 

Jennifer is also the producer of the 2010 documentary The Clean Bin Project. 

As follow-up to the Forum, Food First will be working on a collaborative 'outcomes and next steps' report that will include a wide range of actions we can all take to improve food security in our community. Food waste will be one of the many topics included. So stay tuned for your opportunity to participate!

Thank You!

Burnaby Food First would like to extend a very big thank you to everyone who attend our 'Food Matters: Food for Today & Food for the Future' Forum last week! Attendance was great and we had a lot of fun. Stay tuned for our outcomes report, and follow-up workshops. 

Thank you again as well to our sponsors:

• United Way of the Lower Mainland

• Vancity

• Fraser Health

And thank you to the Burnaby South ACE-IT culinary training program for preparing such amazing food!

Photo Sourced from: http://foodshare.org.au/

Upcoming Forum: Food For Today and Food for the Future

Burnaby Food Matters:
Food for Today and Food for the Future

Join us on Wednesday, June 8th for our second food forum: Burnaby Food Matters - Food for Today
and Food for the Future!

When: Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Where: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (6688 Southoaks Crescent / Burnaby - map)

Registration: 1:15 pm to 2:00 pm

Afternoon Session: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

• Presentations about the state of food - from seed to table to compost
• "World cafe" style sessions

Nourish and Network: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
A light dinner will be provided to all registrants
 
Evening Session: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

• Speakers on the "state of food" and farming in Burnaby
• Hands-on workshops and demonstrations

Come together to

• Learn about local programs and projects.
• Be inspired by great ideas and displays for the future of food.
• Learn about how you can make change where you live, work, play, volunteer and learn.
• Discuss why food is important and how it helps us and our communities stay healthy.

Participants are welcome to join one or both sessions!

Registration link: https://burnabyfoodmatters.eventbrite.com

We look forward to seeing you at our event!

Thank you to the following sponsors:

• United Way of the Lower Mainland
• Vancity
• Fraser Health

Food Forum: Food for Today and Food for the Future - June 8th

Burnaby Food Matters
Food for Today and Food for the Future

Join us on Wednesday June 8th for our second food forum: Burnaby Food Matters - Food for Today

and Food for the Future!

When: Wednesday June 8, 2016
Where: Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre,
6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby

Registration: 1:15 pm to 2:00 pm

Afternoon Session: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

• Presentations about the state of food - from seed to table to compost.
• "World cafe" style sessions

Nourish and network (a light dinner will be provided to all registrants)

Evening Session: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

• Speakers on the "state of food" and farming in Burnaby
• Hands-on workshops and demonstrations

Come together to:

• Learn about local programs and projects.
• Be inspired by great ideas and displays for the future of food.
• Learn about how you can make change where you live, work, play, volunteer and learn.
• Discuss why food is important and how it helps us and our communities stay healthy.

Participants are welcome to join one or both sessions!

Registration link: https://burnabyfoodmatters.eventbrite.com

We look forward to seeing you at our event!

Thank you to the following sponsors:

• United Way of the Lower Mainland
• Vancity
• Fraser Health

Local Food Security Report Released!

Hello Burnaby Food Firsters!

Cover of Local Food Security Report 
(click image to download report)

After some hard work and intensive research, we are very pleased to share with you our newly published report, Local Food Security: Turning Policy into Action in Metro Vancouver!

We took a look around the Lower Mainland to see what other food security agencies/networks were doing to address food security (or insecurity) – as well as understanding what was working for each neighbourhood or municipality.

Our report contains recommendations to move us towards greater food security! Please download our report (PDF) and have a read.

Don’t forget to support us! By:

• volunteering,  
• donating or 
• buying an apron, 

You will help us support community workshops and publishing reports to help us move food security forward!

Other BFF blog posts on food security:

• http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/2015/05/what-is-food-security_20.html 
• http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/2015/06/tackling-food-insecurity-by-dealing.html
• http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/2015/07/drought-in-bc-and-california.html
• http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/2015/08/nutrition-important-part-of-food.html
• http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/2015/09/policies-impacting-food-security-in-bc.html

Food Security and Food Culture

Food Security includes not only ensuring access to food but also achieving good nourishment and nutrition. This is described as 'Utilization of food' as described in a previous article about this topic. Intake of a well balanced diet goes hand in hand with the diversity, customs and cultural traditions that are associated with food preparation and consumption. In order to achieve Food Security therefore, it is necessary to recognize the importance of culture in relation to food habits. This cultural aspect is further explored in this post. It is part of a series of articles about Food Security. 

We are what we eat

The experience of cooking and eating food is determined by lifestyle, resources, community influences, aesthetic preferences and all such factors that prescribe culture and identity. Food is usually a very important part of celebrations, holidays, festivals and events. Food production, preparation and intake are often collective activities among family, friends and community. These collective and cultural influences therefore are integral to continued intake of sufficient and nutritious food. 

For instance, meals are traditionally long, leisurely and eaten with together with family or friends in Latin cultures such as French, Italian or South American. In India and some other Asian cultures, elaborate cooking processes and use of a wide variety of ingredients are a common feature of everyday meals. Traditional Middle Eastern family meals are served in a communal plate in the centre of the table. Food is eaten without cutlery or plates but using hands.

Cultural traditions and customs are not fixed. They are continuously evolving but they remain part and parcel of Food Utilization and therefore Food Security. 

Impact of Culture on Food Security

Due to a modern lifestyle people are switching to a fast food culture and perhaps no longer attach enough importance to cultural traditions in food habits. The increasing trend towards eating out, take away meals moving away from home made food has negative consequences. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer are attributed among other factors to fast food, industrially or commercially prepared meals all of which often have high levels of sodium and fat and may be lacking in necessary vitamins and diverse nutrients compared to a traditional fresh home cooked meal. Many such articles are available on this subject. The likelihood of diseases like cancer being caused by consumption of processed meat has also recently been in the news. 

Source: Wikipedia

In a multicultural community, some families switching from their traditional cuisine to a western diet may adopt unhealthy cooking or eating habits. This may be because of losing touch with their own culture over generations as a result of modern developments like migration and globalisation. At the same time they may struggle to adapt to local cuisines due to lack of sufficient knowledge not having grown up with the local foods. Furthermore a move away from cooked meals using fresh ingredients to pre-packaged, processed, fast food can also diminish the importance and richness of our ecosystem which supports and creates our food. 

Suggested Measures

It is suggested that work done towards improving Food Security could include efforts to promote the importance of nutrition as well as a suitable cultural environment. This can be done by officially acknowledging the impact of diverse cultural habits and preferences while developing Food Security programs, training or services such as in food bank distribution programs, food related workshops/conferences or while subsidizing/incentivizing local food markets. Introducing an element of cultural awareness, celebration of traditional customs through food festivals, fusion cooking workshops or promotional food events are also part of the measures that encourage communities to better engage with food and eat well. 

Medical treatments are often prescribed after identifying likely deficiencies in a patient's traditional diet and eating patterns by doctors currently. For instance certain vegetarian diets result in deficiency of vitamin B12 with specific medical consequences and accordingly the treatment addresses the deficiencies. The impact on diet of cultural differences should perhaps be taken into account at a prior stage in the work done to improve Food Security.  

Burnaby Food First has been offering many interesting workshops this month to promote local food preparation techniques and locally produced food such as 'cooking with winter greens', 'cooking with root vegetables', 'drying and storing foods' and more. Please check our website for details or contact us to be included in our mailing list. 

Some links for further reading:
http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/foodsecurity/publications/articles/FoodIdentity.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/food-culture/
http://ideas.ted.com/what-americans-can-learn-from-other-food-cultures/

Federal Elections and Food Security

The federal elections will be held on 19 October and voters are examining the policies of the political parties to make an informed choice. So it is perhaps a good time to review the party platforms related to food security also. This is part of a series of articles on food security of which last month and this month we are reviewing policies that can make an impact.

Party Platforms

The Conservative Party promotes self sufficiency in national food production. Their focus reportedly on agriculture as a business seeks to protect and promote export oriented agro-businesses by investing in innovative research and development projects to keep the farming industry competitive. Food and food processing industries are recognized as an important part of the economy. 

The National Democratic Party have committed to a national food strategy emphasizing local sustainable food production and consumption by reducing barriers to local agricultural production as well as promoting local businesses in the food chain through federal procurement to support Canadian producers in their campaigning. The platform further highlights safe, transparent healthy food choices, food waste reduction, improving food access, investing in public health through research and education about nutrition. The NDP leader has recently declared support and spending pledges to address food related issues in the northern regions.

The Liberal Party promises to support farmers in solving challenges of transportation, water management, research, and food safety. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will receive funding for more food safety inspections of domestic and imported foods. Plans for agri-food value added investment funds to create jobs in food processing have been announced as also investment to support innovation and infrastructure for agriculture, soil conservation, water management and green infrastructure. 

The Green Party have described a detailed vision related to food security. They plan actions to improve food self-sufficiency, food safety, promote local, organic, sustainable agricultural practices and protect the environment against climate change. The Party promotes policies to shift emphasis to organically growing food in small and medium ecologically sustainable family farms rather than large, commercial export oriented agriculture and factory farming of livestock. They plan to empower the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to monitor transfat levels, sugary foods, use of pesticides and strengthen the Canadian Organic Standard. Measures to support urban farming, local food markets, seed exchange programs/seed banks and to preserve agricultural lands have all been detailed in their vision. They also promise to establish federally funded community-guided school lunch programs.

Image Source: Food Secure Canada

National Food Policy

Burnaby Food First have been promoting the national drive by Food Secure Canada to list key policy improvements that Parties could commit to as part of their 'Eat Think Vote' campaign focussing on:

• zero hunger in Canada 
• affordable food in northern and remote communities
• support for new farmers
• a federal investment in a universal healthy school food program

Food Secure Canada have cited a new report on the persistently high rates of household food insecurity in Canada indicating that approximately 12.5 percent of households experienced food insecurity in 2013, the year for which most recent statistics are available. The food insecurity crisis in the north calls for much more urgent action as detailed here. One solution to address these issues at least in the case of children is the suggested universal school food program based on the idea of making sure that all children can eat at least one healthy meal or snack at school each day. 

It seems fitting to strive to ensure there is enough food on everyone's plate especially during this time of thanksgiving.

Votes Matter

The trend in farming is towards concentration of few large export oriented mono crop agri-businesses and seed monopolization. Many older farmers are retiring. Supporting new farmers farming on a smaller scale using sustainable methods may be more geared towards improving affordable access to local nutritious food supply and protecting the environment as reported here. This kind of support to new farmers may also provide the necessary balance to offset some potential disadvantages of treating food as just a commodity traded internationally for economic gain. 

In this context the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, a very recent trade pact among 12 countries that may impact the supply management in Canada is especially significant for dairy, poultry and egg farmers. Some details are reported on this deal and where the national parties stand on this subject. TPP needs to be ratified in national legislatures so the outcome of these elections may determine the future of such trade deals and also the future of national food security in many ways! 

Food (Security) for Thought: What's Mental Health Got to Do With It?

October 4 to 10, 2015 is Mental Health Awareness Week!

Held on the first week of October, this campaign focuses attention on mental disorders: signs and symptoms, stigma, how to get help, hope and recovery, and the impact of mental illness on lives, families, workplaces, and society (Source: Canadian Mental Health Association).

Did you know? October 10 is World Mental Health Day!

Some of you may have experienced or know someone who has experienced mental illness. Maybe it was depression, anxiety, Alzheimer's, anorexia, or dementia. Bipolar disorder? Schizophrenia?

Mental illness is more common than many of us might think, but the stigma surrounding it often keeps the conversations silent and can make it difficult to know where to go for help.

What does this have to do with food security?

Food insecurity can be both an outcome and a cause of poor mental health and mental illness. Members of food insecure households tend to have poorer self-rated health, greater stress, and poorer mental and physical health.

Mental illness can impact a person's ability to provide enough food for themselves and their households by making it more difficult to work, maintain relationships with family and friends, and keep a supportive network. Without steady income or social support, food insecurity is more likely to occur.

This relationship between food security and mental illness, however, is not just one way.

A 2012 study found that adolescents who were food insecure in the past year were more likely to experience mental disorders compared to those whose families had reliable access to food. Lack of reliable access to enough food was linked to an increased risk for adolescent mental disorders, even after factoring for the effects of poverty.

People who live in low-income households and poverty conditions are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts and have poorer mental health outcomes. As food security worsens, so does mental health.

So, Let's Talk

Talking is the best way to start breaking down barriers, halt misconceptions, and end the stigma surrounding mental illness. Learn the facts, help educate others, and take the first step to a better understanding of mental health.

If you are in crisis, please go to your local hospital or call 911 immediately. If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, call one of the networks below for support or guidance on seeking help in your area.

Kids Help Phone 1(800) 668-6868

Canadian Mental Health Association (604) 688-3236 (BC Division) or Find your local CMHA

Links

Billingsley, M. (2012). Food insecurity predicts mental health problems in adolescents. (Article)

Canadian Mental Health Association. (n.d.). Awareness Weeks. https://www.cmha.bc.ca/get-informed/events/awareness-weeks

Leung, C. W., Epel, E. S., Willett, W. C., Rimm, E. B., & Laraia, B. A. (2015). Household food insecurity is positively associated with depression among low-income Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participants and income-eligible nonparticipants. American Society for Nutrition, 145(3), 622-627. (Link)

McLaughlin, K. A., Green, J. G., Alegría, M., Costello, E. J., Gruber, M. J., Sampson, N. A., & Kessler, R. C. (2012). Food insecurity and mental disorders in a national sample of US adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(12), 1293-1303. (Link)

 

PROOF. (n.d.). Health, nutrition and food insecurity. (Article)

World Federation for Mental Health. http://www.wfmh.org/