,
23 tweets,
5 min read
Read on Twitter
While I agree that hunger is a horrible word and that we all have a role in addressing it, I don’t think that charity and education are the solution. Here’s why:
Food insecurity is so much more than hunger. Too many people go hunger and experience food insecurity and we do need to do something about it.
Research shows poorer health and quality of life whether they experience worry about running out of food, decreased food quality, or quantity.
Food security means that all people, at all times have availability, accessibility, adequacy, acceptability, and agency: ryerson.ca/foodsecurity/
Or all people, at all times, have physical & economic access to sufficient, safe & nutritious food to meet their needs & preferences for an active & healthy life.
Food banks were created as a temporary response to the 1980s recession. Now they don’t just provide temporary relief, they are a regular, chronic, necessity for many.
Despite increased availability of perishable foods, food banks aren’t able to provide enough to meet clients’ needs. Even if they could…
They can’t ever allow clients’ full agency and acceptable choice. We need to rethink this model. It treats those living on a low income as second class citizens.
The right to food, means the right to secure access, the same availability as those of us who are able to shop for our own food, and meet our needs.
Continuing to focus on food charity as the solution, means creating an unnecessary and inadequate parallel food system for poor people.
How much time, energy and money is spent on acquiring food, labelling, storing, tracking, and transporting that could be better spent elsewhere?
As my colleague @PamHanington says “Are we working to end poverty or empire-building on the backs of the poor?”
Education isn’t the solution either. Arguing it is further stigmatizes and others, it encourages the ‘us vs. them’ beliefs that make us think charity is the solution.
Self-reported food preparation and cooking skills are not associated with food insecurity proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurit… 
Sure, many of us could benefit from improved food preparation and cooking skills, of awareness and understanding of our food systems locally & globally.
I’d love to see more food literacy education available to everyone odph.ca/food-literacy-… @FoodLiteracyCAN
Charlebois argues that some will be left behind no matter how much food we produce, I agree. Perhaps we need to look at the systems and structures instead?
Find out what @RDsPubHealthON say: No Money for Food is…Cent$less odph.ca/centsless
Why are there income inequities in the first place? What systems causing the increases in inequities we’re seeing? What prevents opportunities to get out?
Allowing everyone to meet their basic needs for food, water, shelter, healthcare, community, etc. with dignity, means tackling barriers not redirecting.
Let’s stop blaming poor people for being poor. Food charity and food education are not ever going to be able to address the root causes of poverty.
