Food Insecurity
Notes
- Food insecurity is on the rise in Canada
- Children under eighteen years old have been said to be the most affected group
- More than one million Canadian children are affected by food insecurity (Roshanafshar & Hawkins, 2015)
- The rising poverty levels are responsible for the inability of most Canadians to afford sufficient and quality food (Gundersen et al. 2016)
- Most of the Canadians who have been reported to be food insecure are ones that rely on salaries and wages
- Indigenous communities have been on the receiving head of negative impacts of food insecurity
Dear Prime Minister
Food Insecurity
This letter may come as a surprise, but it is worth the time taken to write and read. Canada has appeared on the international image as a developed country. Issues such as food insecurity would not be an issue of concern to a developed country. However, Canada is associated with alarming statistics concerning food insecurity. It is worrying about meeting hungry children on the streets of Canada, although the government does not appear to be making any efforts towards addressing the situation. Measures are required to reduce the level of food insecurity among the Canadians and bring back the good reputation associated with the nation.
Current researches have been giving alarming statistics concerning the state of food security among Canadians. Generally, children under eighteen years old have been said to be the most affected group. Furthermore, more than one million Canadian children are affected by food insecurity. The number makes a sixth of the total Canadian population and calls for an immediate to save the suffering people. Although the state of food insecurity has not reached starving levels, Canada may lose its citizens to starvation if immediate actions are not taken. The efforts to address the food insecurity situation should be based on the causes of food insecurity.
A variety of factors causes food insecurity in Canada. First, the rising poverty levels are responsible for the inability of most Canadians to afford sufficient and quality food. Research has shown that more than seventy percent of Canadians who rely on food assistance cannot afford food, thus are food insecure. Also, most of the Canadians who have been reported to be food insecure are ones that rely on salaries and wages. The association comes in by the fact that most Canadians have been forced by circumstances to work for low wages hence ending up leading low standards of living. Moreover, discrimination of indigenous communities has played a crucial role in raising food insecurity.
Indigenous communities have been on the receiving head of negative impacts of food insecurity. The treatment of indigenous communities has not changed significantly since the days of settlers. Generally, indigenous communities have continued to lead low-quality lives, and measures are required to save the communities from the menace. The office of the Prime minister is in a position to address all the challenges associated with food insecurity.
Currently, I have decided to invest in a sensitization program that aims at changing the perceptions of Canadians towards food insecurity. The program aims at educating Canadians on safe farming methods and food storage to avoid wastage and poor farming practices. The program is open to receiving assistance from the government. Also, the government should consider starting similar programs to ensure that the Canadians do not suffer silently with the world expecting the government to feed its people sufficiently.
In sum, measures are required to reduce the level of food insecurity among the Canadians and bring back the good reputation associated with the nation. The efforts to address the food insecurity situation should be based on the causes of food insecurity. The office of the Prime minister is in a position to address all the challenges associated with food insecurity. Generally, the government should consider starting similar programs to ensure that the Canadians do not suffer silently with the world expecting the government to feed its people sufficiently.
References
Gundersen, C., Tarasuk, V., Cheng, J., de Oliveira, C., Kurdyak, P., & Dachner, N. (2016). Food insecurity status and mortality in Ontario, Canada. The FASEB Journal, 30(1_supplement), 273-5.
Roshanafshar, S., & Hawkins, E. (2015). Food insecurity in Canada. Statistics Canada.