Food Security in Hamilton

I live in Hamilton, Ontario Canada. Homelessness is among many social issues that our city, let alone province faces as we are one of the most poverty ridden cities in southern Ontario. Aside from homelessness, many families are on welfare, and LICO just to support their families. Due to social, environmental, economic and other factors, our food system is changing. Globally, food is becoming more expensive. The food riots around the world in response to the severe price spikes nearly three years ago were an international wake-up call: many of us could clearly see the link between rising oil prices and the surprising weakness of our food supply. Not all aspects of our current food system are the result of political decisions at the international, federal, or provincial levels. An upcoming conference called “Hammering Out a Food Policy for Hamilton: Preparing the Ground” will explore issues of food security and the role that Hamiltonians need to play in developing city-wide food policy that supports a better, more reasonable, and sustainable food system for everyone. The conference will also feature a couple of short films, community information tables, afternoon workshops, and a locally sourced meal. Growing rates of obesity, diet-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and increasing numbers of citizens relying on our food banks suggest that not all is well. There are environmental factors to be considered too… not just “food miles” – issues such as waste reduction and disposal are emerging. The fundamental ways that we grow, store, package, process and ship our food need to be scrutinized at the local level to develop positive solutions to these growing problems. A move to re-localize certain aspects of our food system seems prudent. Fossil fuels are the driving force behind our existing globalized food system,” explains Karen Burson, Project Manager for Hamilton Eat Local, a project Environment Hamilton.