Between pandemic recovery, inflation, housing costs, extreme weather patterns, and increasing mental health challenges, we are seeing more people at risk of food insecurity. Pre‐COVID, an estimated one in eight Canadians were food insecure. We now think it is closer to one in six.
Join this session to learn about the Dietitians of Canada position on Household Food Insecurity (HFI). We will review terminology, research, current understandings, tensions in how we address HFI in Canada, and explore why this is relevant for dietitians in all areas of practice.
We will also look at a current example of this work in action. For more than 70 years, the Montréal Diet Dispensary has been monitoring the cost of food using its Nutritious and Affordable Food Basket (NAFB). This tool makes it possible to estimate the cost of a basic balanced diet and advocate for improved access to healthy food. We will review lessons learned from an exploratory initiative that aims to bring the NAFB to indigenous communities across Québec.
After this presentation, the attendee should be able to:
- Identify key terms, insights and recommendations in DC’s position on HFI
- Name the challenges and tensions in articulating our position on HFI
- Explain how you can use the NAFB tool in your practice to improve economic access to a nutritionally adequate diet.
- Understand the importance and challenges of implementing a collaborative and participatory approach with indigenous communities in the context of deploying the NAFB across Quebec
- Understand how these terms and tools are relevant for your dietetic practice
This session was part of the DC National Conference 2023.
Date of Presentation: May 26, 2023, DC National Conference
Speakers:
- Karen Giesbrecht, RD, MA
- Lillian Yin, RD, MPH (c)
- Alessia Gadoua, RD, MPH (c)
- Julie Paquette, RD, MBA
Materials:
- Video presentation (1 hour 18 min)
- Audio file (mp3 file)
Cost:
- $19.95 for DC members
- $39.95 for non-DC members
- $9.95 for DC student members
