Food Matters – a gathering at the Grace Centre

Wilma Kenny | Nov 02, 2016

On Saturday October 22, the KFL&A Food Policy Council held an afternoon meeting at Grace Centre in Sydenham to discuss food-related issues. The overall focus was on food security, but underlying this were the stark statistics related to the other side of the coin, food insecurity:

“Food Insecurity: the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.” According to the Health Unit’s 2013 statistics, over 8% of households in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington area live with food insecurity, unsure whether there will be enough food to go around by the end of the week, or unable to serve fresh meat or fruit or vegetables because these things are too hard to get or too expensive.

David Townsend of South Frontenac Community Services, first of three speakers, compared rural conditions to city living. Rural access to food can be difficult to impossible without transportation: few rural residents have walking access to convenience stores, and there are only three supermarkets in all of South, Central and North Frontenac (Sydenham, Verona and Sharbot Lake.) The two food banks are in Sydenham and Sharbot Lake. One food bank coordinator notes that “hunting season noticeably helps (the food shortages).” Our statistical median income may look reasonable, but Townsend pointed out that it is greatly boosted by the higher incomes of lakeshore residents, especially around Sydenham and Loughborough lakes.

Ayla Fenton, president of the National Farm Youth, spoke on behalf of young farmers, many of whom have not had the experience of growing up on farms. While in 1930, 31% of the population farmed, that percentage has dropped to 1.2% today. One problem facing beginning farmers is lack of access to farmland, either owned or rented. Also, Fenton asked, “Where are the profits going? Cost of food is rising, but farm incomes remain unchanged.” Getting fresh produce from a small farm to market can also be a challenge.

Toni Picard spoke on behalf of the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) program which would ensure that everyone receives an income sufficient to meet basic needs and to live with dignity, regardless of work status. She described how such a program, which some dismiss as ‘too expensive’ has been proven to actually cut health care and other costs, improve levels of nutrition, education and mental health, and inject cash back into local economies.

Participants then divided into discussion groups, to talk about programs and policies that might be developed or expanded to improve food security in local communities. Many ideas were floated, no hard decisions made, but the afternoon succeeded in raising participants’ awareness of some serious close-to-home issues.