Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation (2025)

28/02/2025

Racism

How does cultural racism impact diabetes risk assessment in Canada? How did Covid-19 and racism impact food security? How does racism shape traditional food access? How can we confront racism in food systems? How can we dismantle the structures that create unequal access to food?

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/search/index?query=%22Racism%22&dateFromYear=&dateFromMonth=&dateFromDay=&dateToYear=&dateToMonth=&dateToDay=&authors=

27/02/2025

Book Reviews

Explore urban agriculture, social movements, the strawberry industry, the ethics of land use, and more! Enjoy open access reviews of books that span the breadth of food scholarship!

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/search/index?query=%22book+review%22&dateFromYear=&dateFromMonth=&dateFromDay=&dateToYear=&dateToMonth=&dateToDay=&authors=

26/02/2025

Registration for the conference is now open!

Foundations, Evolutions, and Revolutions

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 Canadian Association for Food Studies Assembly will be hosted at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario from June 2- June 5, 2025, and will be delivered in conjunction with the Federation for Humanities & Social Sciences Congress (running May 30 to June 6, 2025). The broader theme of Congress, just announced, is “Reframing Togetherness.”

In keeping with the CAFS conference theme of Foundations, Evolutions, and Revolutions we are planning a three-day arc of plenary events that brings to life these animating ideas. Our plenary on Day 1 (Monday June 2) will look back to the foundations and origins of food studies in Canada over the last 30 years. On Day 2 (Tuesday June 3), our plenary will look at the present issues, concerns, and priorities characterizing food studies scholarship, practice, and advocacy. On Day 3 (Wednesday June 4), the plenary will look towards ongoing revolutions in food studies as we move forward in shared yet diverse ways. Thursday June 5 is dedicated to our One-Day Student Symposium in collaboration with DevOur Campus and is open to all students, emerging researchers, or those looking to get more involved in Canadian food studies.

Conference attendees must be current CAFS members.

We look forward to seeing you in Toronto!

https://foodstudies.info/news-conferences/upcoming-conference/

25/02/2025

Canadian cuisine

Deconstruct and decolonize Canadian cuisine. Take a culinary tour of cod tongues and Nanaimo bars. Unpack how we teach and write about Canadian cuisine. Review culinary history and literature in Canada.

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Chocolart by Chef Lucy Godoy.

https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/search/index?query=%22Canadian+cuisine%22&dateFromYear=&dateFromMonth=&dateFromDay=&dateToYear=&dateToMonth=&dateToDay=&authors=

24/02/2025

New Blog About Food

Politics of Food

Subscribe to learn more about food justice and food security.

From Mustafa Koc

https://mustafakoc.substack.com/

21/02/2025

Land

Farmland, land grabs, land concentration, farmland investment, land-based learning, territorial restructuring, the corporate food regime, land access, policy, stolen land, land use.

Explore the scholarship on land in Canadian Food Studies!

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/search/index?query=Land&dateFromYear=&dateFromMonth=&dateFromDay=&dateToYear=&dateToMonth=&dateToDay=&authors=

20/02/2025

LAST CALL

Have your say in the future of CAFS! Please complete the CAFS Survey for Strategic Planning!

Please check your inbox (and your junk mail, just in case). This survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. If you have more to say, you may also opt-in to be interviewed at the end of the survey. You are invited to complete this survey before February 20, 2025. As a thank you for completing the survey, you may opt-in to be entered into a draw to win a prize worth $30. If you did not receive a survey, please email [email protected] for a link!

19/02/2025

The CFS Choux Questionnaire

Lenore Newman

A riff on the well-riffed Proust Questionnaire, the CFS Choux Questionnaire is meant to elicit a tasty and perhaps surprising experience, framed within a seemingly humble exterior. (And yes, some questions have a bit more craquelin than others.) Straightforward on their own, the queries combined start to form a celebratory pyramid of extravagance. How that composite croquembouche is assembled and taken apart, however, is up to the respondents and readers to determine. Respondents are invited to answer as many questions as they choose.

The final question posed—What question would you add to this questionnaire?—prompts each respondent to incorporate their own inquisitive biome into the mix, feeding a forever renewed starter culture for future participants. For this edition, our respondent has replied to a question from Lisa Heldke (CFS Vol. 10 #2).

Our Choux Questionnaire respondent for this issue Lenore Newman. Lenore is the director of the Food and Agriculture Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley, where she holds a Research Chair in Food and Agriculture Innovation. She is a professor in the Faculty of Science at UFV, and is an emeritus member of the Royal Society of Canada's New College.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/715

18/02/2025

A review of The Political Economy of Agribusiness: A Critical Development Perspective

Nil Alt

Maria Luisa Mendonça's recent book, The Political Economy of Agribusiness: A Critical Development Perspective, challenges the idea that agribusiness is an inevitable evolutionary process. Using a Marxist perspective, the book examines the historical development and consequences of industrial agriculture, particularly in Brazil. The author focusses on the role of international financial capital in expanding sugarcane plantations for ethanol production, contributing to land grabbing, rural displacement and deforestation. Finally, Mendonça offers examples of rural resistance led by peasant and indigenous communities of Brazil and calls for sustainable and equitable agricultural practices, advocating for agrarian reform and food sovereignty.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/711

14/02/2025

Exploration Gallery
Exploration Gallery submissions are due on February 14, 2025.

la Galerie d’exploration
Les soumissions pour la Galerie d’exploration doivent être envoyées avant le 14 février 2025.

https://foodstudies.info/news-conferences/upcoming-conference/

13/02/2025

Optimizing stewardship of the land?
Digital agriculture and the ideology of optimization in Canadian policy and media discourse

Sarah Marquis

This research considers the ways in which digital agriculture (DA) technologies (like robotic machinery, big data applications, farm management software platforms and drones) fit into discourses of sustainable agriculture in the Canadian political and media landscape. To undertake this research, I conducted a discourse analysis of relevant government and media materials published between 2016 and 2022. What became evident was an ideology of optimization, which works to communicate that environmental sustainability needs to and will be optimized using DA technologies. I then consider how these findings are related to the federal fertilizer emissions reduction target, aiming to reduce emissions arising from fertilizer application in agricultural contexts by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. I argue that discourse regarding this target deploys the ideology of optimization to keep current systems of fertilizer use in place, solidifying further the industrial and productivist paradigm of agriculture in Canada.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/685

12/02/2025

Colonial approaches in Canadian national food policy development
Carving out space for Indigenous partnership

Mary Coulas
Gabriel Maracle

The Government of Canada has claimed that the relationship with Indigenous peoples, that of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, is their most important relationship. The rhetoric around reconciliation and Indigenous-Crown relationships are a major directive within federal policy. Using the theoretical framework of discursive institutionalism, this journal article looks at how this approach has, or has not, shaped the development of a national food policy. Discursive institutionalism is critical to understanding the complex relationships and perspectives that are embedded within the development of national food policies. Looking at the reports, discourse, and actions of the federal government, this article highlights how Indigenous people continue to be seen as stakeholders, as opposed to partners in nation-to-nation relationships. This paper analyzing the government’s approach to food policy stresses that the government recognizes the importance of having a national food policy, as well as acknowledging that Indigenous people need to be a part of the process. Indigenous peoples are distinct peoples with inherent rights that must been recognized and supported by the Crown, and that understanding needs to be a part of all policies and laws that can impact Indigenous peoples and communities.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/700

11/02/2025

Exploring activist perspectives on Indigenous-settler solidarity in Toronto’s food sovereignty movement

Taliya Seidman-Wright Taliya Seidman-Wright
Sarah Rotz Sarah Rotz

While food movements have increasingly taken up the framework of Indigenous food sovereignty in their work, settler food activists continue to define food systems on stolen lands. In this article, we explore whether and how food activists in Toronto are building solidarity with Indigenous peoples and movements in their work. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with food activists and content analysis of Toronto food organizations, we identify three main themes: (un)learning, relationship-building, and systemic constraints and visions for the future. Our findings reveal that many settler food activists are engaging in (un)learning processes, building decolonizing relationships, and supporting greater Indigenous leadership at their organizations. However, participants’ solidarity-building efforts are in the minority among food organizations more broadly, and there is significant work to be done to prioritize Indigenous struggles for land and sovereignty in food movement work. Further, NGO structure and function, corporatized and donor-centric funding models, and settler colonialism more broadly, significantly constrain the capacities of food organizations to align with Indigenous goals and visions. We argue that settler food activists have a responsibility to more deeply consider the role of food activism in upholding and challenging settler colonialism, to let go of settler claims to authority over food and knowledge systems on stolen lands, and to advocate for deeper systemic changes that redistribute power and resources to Indigenous peoples and Indigenous-led initiatives.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/699

10/02/2025

From Palestine to Turtle Island
Food as a weapon of colonialism and tool of liberation

Sarah Rotz Sarah Rotz
Charles Levkoe
Martha Stiegman
Mustafa Koc
Indra Singh
Max Ajl
Yafa Al Masri
Justin Podur

This paper examines the historical and ongoing role of food as both a tool of colonization and a means of liberation, focusing on Palestine and Turtle Island (Canada). In Gaza, the latest wave of Israeli military violence, described by the UN as genocidal, uses food militarization and weaponization as key tactics of settler colonial control. These strategies, rooted in colonial and capitalist systems, have long been employed by settler states like Canada to suppress Indigenous populations. The destruction of food systems in Palestine is part of a broader attack on land sovereignty, reflecting similar patterns of colonial land theft and environmental devastation in North America. Gaza now suffers from extreme food insecurity and famine, exacerbated by large-scale environmental destruction. Despite this, food sovereignty remains a crucial aspect of resistance for Palestinians and Indigenous peoples across the world. This paper draws on a panel discussion organized by the Canadian Association for Food Studies/L’Association canadienne des études sur l’alimentation (CAFS/ACÉA), featuring insights from three scholars who connect food systems to colonialism and struggles for self-determination. The discussion underscores the importance of Indigenous movements and mutual aid networks in the fight for land, food, and cultural sovereignty. These localized struggles are part of a larger global resistance against imperialism and colonialism, illustrating the power of food sovereignty as a means of survival and liberation.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/710

07/02/2025

Food and housing insecurity in Cambridge Bay
A closer look at the dynamics

Séraphin Guy Balla Ndegue
Caroline Hervé

The housing crisis and food insecurity are huge problems within Canadian Inuit communities, the particularly in Nunavut. However, the correlation between the two problems has been little addressed by anthropological researches. Based on data from interviews and observations collected at the Municipality of Cambridge Bay, and drawing on relevant literature, this article aims to analyze the complex dynamics that lead to food insecurity, overcrowded households and people experiencing homelessness.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/664

06/02/2025

Reflections from first-generation small-scale vegetable farmers

Richard S. Bloomfield Huron University
Deishin Lee

Renewal of the agriculture sector requires an influx of young farmers, either members of farming families or first-generation farmers. The latter face distinct challenges (Bloomfield, 2023; Magnan et al., 2023). This study seeks to understand some of their motivations and challenges in order to inform policy changes to support and encourage more first-generation farmers.
Agriculture has long been regarded in Canada as not only economically but also culturally significant. Yet less than 1% of the population are recognised as farmers by the latest census data (Statistics Canada, 2021). In the last three decades alone, Canada has net lost nearly 150,000 farmers and the average age of a Canadian farmer is now 56. Only 8.5% of Canadian farmers were under 35 in the last Agricultural Census, compared to 20% in 1991, and that percentage has been declining steadily since 1931 (Clapp, 2023; Magnan et al., 2022; Qualman et al., 2018; Statistics Canada, 2006, 2022). In particular, the number of young people from farming families staying in agriculture is declining. Several reports, including that of the Royal Bank of Canada Climate Action Institute, show that a majority of farmers do not have a succession plan in place although, within the next decade, 40% will retire (Yaghi, 2023). People from non-farming backgrounds find it difficult to enter the profession due to barriers that include prohibitive costs and lack of training. To ensure that Canada can feed its growing population, we must address the farmer shortage by understanding the experiences of new—particularly young—farmers.

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https://canadianfoodstudies.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cfs/article/view/657

05/02/2025

CAFS AWARD NOMINATIONS - NOMINATIONS POUR LES PRIX DE L’ACEA

Award for Public Service or Activism in Food Systems
This award recognizes an individual who has made contributions to food systems work that serves the general public or that takes place within the sphere of activism or change- making. Work may have taken place in community or institutional contexts, the arts, ecological, or rights movements, or other spaces.
To nominate someone, please submit the following:
- A cover letter from the principal nominator detailing the nominee’s contributions and making the case for the award.
- The nominee’s current CV or a comprehensive summary of work.
- Two or more letters of support (at least one from a CAFS member).
- Other material including media clips, accreditations, videos, testimonials (optional).

The deadline for submitting is extended.
- Submission deadline: February 17, 2025. Notification of awards: April 1, 2025.
Send nominations and papers to [email protected]. They will then be forwarded to the CAFS prize committee.

Prix pour le service public ou l’activisme dans les systèmes alimentaires
Ce prix reconnaît une personne ayant contribué de manière significative aux systèmes alimentaires au service du public ou dans le cadre de l’activisme et du changement. Ces contributions peuvent s’inscrire dans des contextes communautaires, institutionnels, artistiques, écologiques, ou liés aux droits.
Pour nominer quelqu’un, soumettez :
-Une lettre de présentation du principal nominateur détaillant les contributions du candidat et justifiant la nomination.
-Le CV actuel du candidat ou un résumé détaillé de son travail.
-Deux lettres de soutien ou plus (au moins une doit provenir d’un membre de l’ACEA).
-Autres documents (articles, accréditations, vidéos, témoignages – optionnel).

Le date limite pour soumettre a été prolongée.
- Date limite de soumission: 17 février 2025 Annonce des prix : 1 avril 2025
Envoyez vos nominations et documents à [email protected]. Ils seront transmis au comité des prix de l’ACEA.

Canadian Food Studies / La Revue canadienne des études sur l'alimentation