{"id":25416,"date":"2024-05-08T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2024-05-08T16:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/?p=25416"},"modified":"2024-05-02T11:25:13","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T18:25:13","slug":"open-space-food-insecurity-an-unnecessary-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2024\/05\/08\/open-space-food-insecurity-an-unnecessary-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Space<\/em>: Food insecurity an unnecessary crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stop wasting food, Canada\u2014starving students have suffered enough.<\/p>\n

Post-secondary students across Canada are grappling with food insecurity, a stark reality that hinders their ability to thrive academically and personally. With rising tuition fees and housing costs, and limited financial aid, many students find themselves unable to afford nutritious meals regularly. The resulting conditions are poorer physical health, poorer mental health, and poorer academic achievement.<\/p>\n

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This story originally appeared in our May 8, 2024 issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The burden is especially heavy on marginalized communities and international students who face additional financial barriers. For international students, trying to acclimate to new traditions, expectations, and resources in a different country is challenging. They often cannot access healthy foods that fulfill their food preferences and dietary needs; it can also be difficult to source culturally appropriate food. Food banks on campuses are witnessing increased demand, highlighting the depth of the issue. For these students, the dilemma isn\u2019t just about hunger\u2014it\u2019s about the fundamental right to access necessities while pursuing education.<\/p>\n

Working against food insecurity among post-secondary students in Canada means addressing a pressing social-justice issue and making a tangible difference in people\u2019s lives. By combating food insecurity, we all contribute to creating a more equitable society where everyone has access to essential resources, regardless of their socioeconomic background. Working on this issue allows people to advocate for policies that support affordable education, promote community-driven initiatives like food banks and meal programs, and foster awareness about the challenges faced by marginalized student populations. Ultimately, addressing food insecurity among students is not just about providing meals\u2014it\u2019s about empowering individuals to fulfill their potential and ensuring that education remains a pathway to opportunity for all.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s food for thought: Canada does not have a food shortage. In fact, according to food-rescue non-profit Second Harvest, a whopping 58 percent of food gets wasted annually. One study from last year found that 19.2 percent of the general population in Canada suffers from food insecurity. Even more telling is a survey from fall 2021 of 6,167 students from 13 Canadian university campuses: it found that 56.8 percent of students were moderately or severely food insecure. These high numbers have increased demand for wider-scale discussions at the federal and local levels, including conversations around food subsidies, tuition supports, and a basic income program.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re all accountable to help reduce food waste and must do a better job. Food that\u2019s grown and produced but ends up not being consumed will fill our landfills and produce methane gas.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s check our own habits; don\u2019t buy and stock up on more food than you\u2019ll consume, or else you run the risk of the food spoiling before you can eat it. Plan your meals before going to the grocery store. Is it more work? Sure. Will it reduce food waste? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

If you do have more food at home than you need, you can always donate it to food banks before it spoils and goes to waste. It will come back around to you. If changes aren\u2019t made across the board and students in Canada don\u2019t get some relief, this unnecessary crisis will only worsen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stop wasting food, Canada\u2014starving students have suffered enough. Post-secondary students across Canada are grappling with food insecurity, a stark reality that hinders their ability to thrive academically and personally. With rising tuition fees and housing costs, and limited financial aid, many students find themselves unable to afford nutritious meals regularly. The resulting conditions are poorer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,310],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-views","category-may-8-2024"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25416"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25417,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25416\/revisions\/25417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}