[BCFSN] Some blog thoughts about food insecurity during COVID

[Devon Cooke]

Working on my documentary has had paying a lot of attention to food 
security during COVID.

Food security has been a big worry during COVID-19 — one that will only 
become bigger as government support runs out and struggling businesses 
start to go under. Canadian statistics suggest that households 
experiencing food insecurity has spiked by about 50% 
<https://mailer.thehandsthatfeedus.ca/lists/lt.php?tid=LEVaUQcGVgEJUx5UBV8KSVAHDAYfAABXARUFAANVVAdUAAtXAwZJBllTUgUAAVdJVlZRAx9VVVAHFVgGAlFPAwIOWFBRAwwGWlEKSwJYUQJUUVAPH1JdBAAVVVJSVk8ABghdS1IFAVQNVgUOWQFUUw>, 
but that's nothing compared to stories from the USA, where food banks 
have had lines for hours, and more than a third of New Yorkers reported 
skipping meals or reducing portions 
<https://mailer.thehandsthatfeedus.ca/lists/lt.php?tid=LEUPXwYIVwgNBR4DBwhRSVBRUwAfWQdQVBUAVAcHBFpUWgpfBwZJBllTUgUAAVdJVlZRAx9VVVAHFVgGAlFPAwIOWFBRAwwGWlEKSwJYUQJUUVAPH1JdBAAVVVJSVk8ABghdS1IFAVQNVgUOWQFUUw>.

It has become de rigueur to describe food insecurity as an "income 
problem".  I like that this attitude takes the focus off farmers.  The 
idea that food needs to be cheap so that everyone can eat has not been 
good for farmers.  To some extent, our recent food policy could be 
described as "solving poverty by making farmers poorer".  But, thinking 
of food security as a subset of poverty not only takes the focus off 
farmers, it also takes the focus off food entirely, and I think that's a 
mistake.

My latest blog post explores this idea more thoroughly: Why food 
security isn't a subset of poverty 
<https://mailer.thehandsthatfeedus.ca/lists/lt.php?tid=LEVaUApVAgheVh4HUgELSVADU1cfWFUGBxVUUVQBBFRSXA4FCwRJBllTUgUAAVdJVlZRAx9VVVAHFVgGAlFPAwIOWFBRAwwGWlEKSwJYUQJUUVAPH1JdBAAVVVJSVk8ABghdS1IFAVQNVgUOWQFUUw>.

All the best,

Devon Cooke
The Hands that Feed Us
www.thehandsthatfeedus.ca

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