Making sure that people have adequate amounts of good food to eat is very much a health issue, according to Jenny Green, community health facilitator with Interior Health.
Green gave a presentation titled, “Innovation may put food security back on the table: Let's talk!” during a community-to-community forum held in Clearwater on Jan. 29.
Food Security is a situation in which all community residents can obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes self-reliance and social justice, she said.
The food security continuum follows three stages.
The first involves short term relief, such as food banks and meal programs.
Next comes capacity building, which involves community gardens and community kitchens using local food.
Stage three is redesigning the food system through food policy, networks, zoning and land use.
The presentation included asking the participants to to write on a post-it note what assets does their communities have that contribute to food security. Each person then posted it along the food security continuum to create a snapshot of what’s available in the region. This led the conversation to – where to now?