First Nations Food Environments: Exploring the Role of Place, Income, and Social Connection

Abstract

In Canada, few studies have examined how place shapes Indigenous food environments, particularly among Indigenous people living in southern regions of Ontario. This paper examines and compares circumstances of food insecurity that impact food access and dietary quality between reserve-based and urban-based Indigenous peoples in southwestern Ontario. This study used a community-based survey containing a culturally adapted food-frequency questionnaire and cross-sectional study design to measure food insecurity, food access, and dietary quality among Indigenous respondents living in urban (n = 130) and reserve-based (n = 99) contexts in southwestern Ontario. Rates of food insecurity are high in both geographies (55% and 35% among urban- and reserve-based respondents, respectively). Urban-based participants were 6 times more likely than those living on-reserve to report 3 different measures of food insecurity. Urban respondents reported income to be a significant barrier to food access, while for reserve-based respondents, time was the most pressing barrier. Compared with recommendations from Canada's Food Guide, our data revealed overwhelming trends of insufficient consumption in 3 food categories among all respondents. Close to half (54% and 52%) of the urban- and reserve-based samples reported that they eat traditional foods at least once a week, and respondents from both groups (76% of urban- and 52% of reserve-based respondents) expressed interest in consuming traditional foods more often. Indigenous Food Sovereignty and community-led research are key pathways to acknowledge and remedy Indigenous food insecurity. Policies, social movements, and research agendas that aim to improve Indigenous food security must be governed and defined by Indigenous people themselves. Indigenous food environments constitute political, social, and cultural dimensions that are infinitely place based.