Newly published results from a study on nutrition, food security and the environment in Saskatchewan First Nations show that food insecurity is a major concern and that many households would like more access to traditional foods.The study found that out of the 1042 participants, 37% of First Nations’ households in Saskatchewan are food insecure compared to less than 10% among Canadians and that the cost to feed healthy meals to a family of four could reach as high as $479 per week in northern First Nations.
The First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES), led by Laurie Chan, a professor and Canada Research Chair at the University of Ottawa in partnership with the Assembly of First Nations and Malek Batal, a professor from the University of Montreal, is the first national study of its kind. The recently published report details the dietary patterns, lifestyle and general health status of adults in 13 randomly selected First Nations from Saskatchewan.
More than 90% of the study participants reported eating traditional food; the most popular choices are moose, blueberry and deer. Over 60 % of the people surveyed said they harvested traditional food and about 40% of the participants declared they hunted and fished. Barriers to a greater access of traditional food included the lack of a hunter in the household, equipment/transportation and/or knowledge.
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Image via University of Ottawa.