As I read through the keyword definitions it caught my attention how many of the words so easily intertwined with each other, one definition leaning on another for support, giving it more meaning. I was particularly drawn to the interconnectedness of the terms “food security” and “access”.
For a long time I thought that food security simply meant knowing that you have steady access to food. And in a very literal sense that is not a wrong interpretation. However, after reading the in depth definitions of these two keywords, I realized that there’s a lot more to food security and accessibility than I previously thought. Food security is about being able to get food from sources that are safe, that are looking out for our good, and that are run according to community values. It’s about food that we like, and that is good for us. Access to that food, or to anything in general, is about location, accommodation, and affordability. Access is inclusive.
As I delved deeper into these definitions, I started questioning if I could really be considered “food secure,” or if the majority of North America could. I had always thought it was a no-brainer, that living in North America I could never be considered food insecure (even growing up below the poverty line) because everywhere you look there is access to food. In light of these definitions, however, I’m starting to think that our sense of security might be somewhat false.
Sure, if you have the money you can go to the grocery store and buy meat and fruit and vegetables and stock your fridge and pantry week after week. But do you know where that food comes from? Is the grocery chain run based on your community values? Can lower-income families afford to buy the same things if that was their preferred food? Or are the lower-income families stuck in the McDonald’s drive through buying a burger for a dollar from a company that fills their food full of chemicals and definitely doesn’t care about their well-being? Are either of these options truly food secure?
camila quintana
October 1, 2020 — 1:18 PM
Hi! I enjoyed reading your post. I too, started thinking the same when I read the definitions. It’s odd to think about the fact that in a first world country, not everyone has access to “secure food”. This is a very complex issue that is hard to regulate. I took a food science class over the summer and we learnt about the different regulations Health Canada has in place to ensure that foods that are not safe are not available in the market. There are so so many regulations and laws in place and even still not all foods available are high quality or “secure”.
andro garcia
October 3, 2020 — 12:38 PM
Hello! You have a very interesting perspective on this. I like how you connected the two terms because I think you are correct in saying that “food security” and “access” are linked to one another. Through reading your reflection, it really did make me think deeper and more critically about our access and security towards food. We take food as it is and think its everywhere, but bringing up variables such as its origin and health benefits changes that outlook completely.
Shadow Feng
October 4, 2020 — 8:17 PM
Hi! You raised some very good questions. From my understanding, food security
deals with the access and safety of foods, whereas food sovereignty deals with
the health, the sustainability and the cultural appropriation of foods. Let’s take
UBC campus as a food system for example, how affordable are foods on campus
to most students? How likely will an international student, or an indigenous
student find culturally appropriate food? I think food insecurity is a more
prevalent issue than it is talked about because of the shame, guilt and social
stigma associated with this particular topic.
roberto pelayo mazzone
October 5, 2020 — 9:06 PM
Hi! You make an important point. Our sense of food security is somewhat flawed in society. We see food security as having food that makes you function but its hard to see toxic chemicals served on a plate as such. This makes me think about the fact that some people in developing countries are more food secure in the sense of quality of food compared to people of low income in developed countries. Although these people of low income in developed countries still have more money than people in developing countries they go to McDonalds because they can’t afford other foods within the western market.