Food for Thought from Timmins
Posted: November 30, 2010
Categories: Food in the News
Food Culture & Food Policy: A Video Kitchen Table Talk
Convened as part of a nation-wide consultation called the Peopleʼs Food Policy Project, the Timmins Kitchen Table Talk was a feast of shared conversation designed to explore experiences, values, barriers and ideas to inform the creation of a national food policy for Canada. Participants discussed many issues and concerns that arise from the fact that Canada currently has no food policy or strategy, including the shrinking rural landscape, the trend towards large scale industrial agriculture, and obesity and other nutrition-related health concerns among others. Check out the video produced for the event here.
The evening featured a “made in Timmins†format to highlight the issues, expertise, and experience in our community. A video panel consisting of Veronica Nicholson (Native Friendship Centre), John & Lois Caron (Hawk Feather Farms), Noella Farrell (Mattagami Heights Farm), Michael Perello (Naturally Pure Farm) and Dr. Susan Kazmarek (Porcupine Health Unit) grounded the discussion in the Timmins context and invited further exploration of food issues such as the nutritional inequalities between people, the high cost of food in remote First Nations, poverty as a social determinant of health, restrictive health and safety regulations that prohibit farmers from selling directly to consumers and other barriers to the accessibility of local food.