food security

Food Security also means that the people who produce our food are able to earn a decent, living wage growing, catching, producing, processing, transporting, retailing, and serving food.

At the core of food security is access to healthy food and optimal nutrition for all. Food access is closely linked to food supply, so food security is dependent on a healthy and sustainable food system.

The food system includes the production, processing, distribution, marketing, acquisition, and consumption of food.

 A healthy, sustainable food system is one that focuses on Environmental Health, Economic Vitality, and Human Health & Social Equity.

• Environmental Health – ensures that food production and procurement do not compromise the land, air, or water now or for future generations.
• Economic Vitality – ensures that the people who are producing our food are able to earn a decent living wage doing so. This ensures that producers can continue to produce our food.
• Human Health & Social Equity – ensures that particular importance is placed on community development and the health of the community, making sure that healthy foods are available economically and physically to the community and that people are able to access these foods in a dignified manner.

As a geographically isolated province, Newfoundland and Labrador faces a unique set of food security challenges:

• Currently most fish products produced locally are exported.
• Many rural and remote communities do not have a population large enough to support a full local grocery store so many residents depend on transportation over long distances to buy healthy food.
• NL has the highest rate of per capita food bank usage in Cananda (5.6% of the population in 2011).
• The province has the highest rate of obese people in Canada (63.2%) and the second highest rate of diabetes in Canada (8.3%).