Food Security and Food Safety
Food Security
There are numerous definitions of food security and food sustainability both in Canada and around the world. Food security and food nutrition, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations (FAO) (2011), “exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life” (p. 3). In 2014, the FAO also endorsed the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and the Framework of Action: “The Rome Declaration on Nutrition enshrines the right of everyone to have access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food, and commits governments to prevent malnutrition in all its forms. The Framework of Action recognizes that governments have the primary role and responsibility for addressing nutrition issues and challenges” (FAO, 2017).In order to achieve food security, it is important to implement sustainable food and agriculture practices. The FAO outlines Five Principles of Sustainable Food and Agriculture. Take a look.
In contrast, food insecurity exists when there is not enough adequate food, whether it be in quantity, quality or in nutritional value (Lawrence, Richards & Lyons, 2013).
Another term often used in relation to food security is food sovereignty, which is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food, produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.
Food Safety
With the rise of genetically modified foods (GMOs), pesticides, and preservatives, consumers are becoming more and more suspicious of what they are consuming (Blouin et al, 2009). For many large food corporations, their main goal is to maximize profits (see section on Complexity of the System) and to do this, additives and preservatives are often added to food to maximize its shelf life or to make it taste more palatable.In Canada, Health Canada is responsible for food safety: “We work with governments, industry and consumers to establish policies, regulations and standards related to the safety and nutritional quality of all food sold in Canada. Health Canada is responsible for assessing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's activities related to food safety” (Health Canada, 2012).
We often see this tension then, between citizens demanding healthy food and food safety, and corporations wanting to maximize profits with Health Canada being the regulator. While many feel that we have very safe, healthy food in Canada, others feel that we need more regulation and so, this issue is an ongoing concern.
