Preventing Obesity in Canada: Lessons from ECV and the Local Food Movements

The number of overweight or extremely overweight people (i.e., obese) in the United States and Canada (much of the Western world) has skyrocketed to shocking levels in recent years. The reasons for this unfortunate trend are well known, mainly the effect of limited to no physical activity, in addition to poor quality diets­, high in empty calories and low in essential nutrients that the mind and body need to function proficiently.

A study that came out about eight years ago in the Journal of Community Health examined the relationship between acculturation and obesity-related behaviors, i.e., physical activity and fast-food or (junk food) binging among 619 Asian-American and 1385 Hispanic adolescents living in Southern California (Ungar et al. 2004). The results of that study suggest that cultural assimilation, i.e. acculturation, is a risk factor for obesity-related behaviors (ibid.). Fortunately, since the risk-factors associated with obesity are behavioral risk factors, i.e. they can be altered and improved; different from other risk factors for obesity such as a person’s genetic makeup, it is possible to reverse these trends. Therefore, although fast-food makes up a significant portion of the Canadian and U.S. diet, it is possible that this diet can be changed. However, since physical activity is also important to our health, exercise is a must.

Slow-food is one example of a food movement which has gained international support and goes against the fast-food culture that is so pervasive in many places in North America. The movement was founded in Italy by Carlo Petrini in the late1980s. Like its name suggests, slow food encourages people to eat at a slower pace, ideally with family and friends around, and perhaps most importantly of all, it encourages us to appreciate the significance that foods hold for peoples’ culture and health (http://www.slowfood.com). Another social movement thing that has done a lot to remind Canadians that fast food is unhealthy and that there are acceptable alternatives, is the local food movement which is rapidly gaining popularity across Canada.

University of Guelph Prof. Gopi Paliyath offers insight into the health benefits of a diet rich in fresh vegetables, and especially ECVs. He points to the health benefits like the anti-oxidant effects and reduction of blood sugar and insulinomimetic activity that can result from consuming many ECV.  However, if these vegetables aren’t consumed within as little as five days of being picked, these nutritional effects decline markedly (Adekunle et al., 2011). Thus to be fresh these vegetables should ideally be grown close to where they are consumed.

There are many reasons why Canadians farmers should consider growing ethno-cultural vegetables (ECV) for local niche markets in Canada, beyond the obvious reason, the high demand for these vegetables among people of various ethnic groups who frequent urban and semi-urban markets, especially ethnic stores, in search of their highly preferred ECV. First, it is apparent that increased availability of ECV, many of which have to be prepared or cooked at home, will go a long way towards curbing obesity levels in this country, also considering that there is a large unmet demand for these vegetables as it stands now.  Thus, increasing the variability and availability of fresh quality local ethnic produce—highly nutritious when consumed swiftly following their local production and transport, is a sure-fire way to enrich the diet of the nation, and improve on the bad food habits of Canadians of all ethnicities. Lastly, increased availability of these vegetables in local markets will diversify the crop portfolio of Ontario horticultural producers, giving them an edge over other farmers who are not cultivating these vegetables. But, there also obstacles to increasing the availability of these vegetables locally including the fact that, those who want these vegetables are largely recent immigrants, whereas, the potential commercial producers are mostly of European descent.  The latter generally don’t eat these vegetables, don’t recognize the big demand for them, and of course do not know how to grow them in these relatively more northern conditions. No doubt some of these ECV require warmer conditions or different soils and can’t be grown in Ontario or other parts of Canada.

I will conclude this blog with the axiom first promoted by the young Hegelian, Ludwig Feuerbach, in the early 19^th century: “you are what you eat!”  Few things tell us more about our cultural identity than the foods we consume. This is especially true in the case of ethno-cultural vegetables (ECV), which are undoubtedly culturally significant to those who consume and live by them. Moreover, the fact that people of different ethnicities share similar cultural preferences for certain vegetables, indicates that different cultures hold their differences as well as their share of similarities with other distinct cultures from their own. Therefore, I would suggest that no two cultures are totally mutually exclusive, particularly when it comes to food. This was also found to be the case with the 250 Afro-Caribbean Canadians who were interviewed in the study on acculturation and consumption behaviors of this group of people (Adekunle et al. 2011). One of the study’s findings was that AC-Canadians are able to replace their staple ethnic vegetables with similar but more traditionally Canadian vegetables when the former are unavailable, although they prefer to consume their ECV, which also may be true of other ethnic groups living in Canada (ibid.).

 

By Andrew Filson (Undergraduate Research Assistant), ECVOntario

References:

Paliyath, G. (2011, March 25). Health benefits and shelf life of ECVs. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCrisuPv6X0&feature=related

Slow Food USA. Taste and culture (leaflet). New York. Online: http://www.slowfood.com

Ungar, J. B., Reynolds, K., Shakib, S., Spruijt-Metz, D., Sun, P., and Johnson, C.A. (2004). ‘Acculturation, physical activity, and fast-food consumption among Asian-American and Hispanic adolescents,’ Journal of Community Health, 29(6):467-481. Retrieved from: http://www.springerlink.com.subzero.lib.uoguelph.ca/content/g75834n27284jp75/

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Students' shallow wallets may put them off from shopping at the FM

 

We enjoy the presence of various institutions in our societies. Some of these institutions act as political, economic or social institutions. Currently, the Farmers Market is one of the most important institutions I have ever been introduced to, and probably the most notable socio-economic institution I have ever visited. Anyone who has ever visited this market would agree with me that its uniqueness in terms of items offered coupled with diversity of vendors is mind blowing. And if you haven’t visited it yet, then this piece of writing might give you the urge of giving it a shot. First and foremost, it is important to know that every Saturday Morning and Wednesday afternoon (summer time) in Guelph, Ontario, hundreds of buyers throng the Market to buy farm fresh produce of high quality directly from the farmers (producers) which they can’t find anywhere else and the atmosphere of the marketplace itself is so tranquil—an opportunity all buyers dearly love. The presence of the Farmers Market attracts a few people in the area turning once-deserted areas to be once more inhabitable; attracting businesses and employment opportunities. It is not a surprise that I am currently a new customer—thanks to the ECVONTARIO project. I just couldn’t vividly comprehend how it happened but after the completion of my three times visit of study in this market, I was left with I must-come-back feeling” because there’s something I have realized about the sellers which makes them unique. During my visit to the market, I would always try to buy some vegetables and other products that caught my attention, and chat with the farmers as well. This made me realized and appreciates the great zest sellers (farmers) possess. These farmers love the farmers market. They love it because a lot of them have the Farmers Market as the only exciting place where they connect with their customers who love what they (farmers) produce, sell and appreciate their work by always buying their produce. This therefore makes Farmers market a source of income for farmers and creates a sense of community.

But as mentioned early, little did I know that Farmers Market just feels like home until I joined the ECVONTARIO Team of researchers and later assigned the duty of gathering University of Guelph students’ perceptions about the Farmers Market. This is a task I really relished.  I was beyond thrilled to survey the students not only because it was an opportunity to meet and interact with them but also very important to the project and the future of local agricultural production since students represent current and future farmers and consumers not only in Ontario but Canada. Students’ diversity in knowledge and backgrounds also makes them a good representative of the entire population. To get the opinions of the students, I had to organize trips to the Farmers Market for three consecutive weeks where I had to openly talk with any student that I found at the market, to ask them about why they choose to buy their vegetables there. I also had an open group discussion with some of the students I found in classes, library, and school cafeterias.

The most interesting finding from the study was the existing disparity between the number of students that know about the FM and those willing to purchase from there. Students cited reasons such high prices” charged by the vendors/producers and Saturday should be their “rest day”.  Like anyone else out there who loves buying farm fresh produce mostly provided by the Farmers Market, students are like that too. A lot of the students who participated in this study don’t like “over-industrialized foods” provided by superstores. But the irony is that they choose purchasing their groceries at superstores than at the Farmers Market. Reason being that the high prices from the FM cited early make groceries from the FM rather unaffordable to most students. This leaves us students with no choice but to purchase our groceries from multinational corporations although we (students) are aware that groceries from the superstore are low quality compared to the Famers Market’s: a clear case of choosing quantity over quality. And the argument that students love the Farmers market but choose to purchase their groceries from superstores than FM itself is supported by some of the reasons highlighted below which were put forth by students themselves during their groups discussions:

·         One of the most unappreciated local activities you can do is to buy local food. Not only does buying local support our own economy, and our own people, it is environmentally friendly and much better for your own health, regardless of age, sex or cultural affiliation. Students contrasted buying local from buying from a superstore by asserting that: When you buy your produce, or meat from a supermarket, you are buying food that is often grown in poor conditions, through environmentally harmful ways, and then harvested to early and thrown on trucks to be driven across the plane.

·         Whether organic or not, local food can be picked ripe and eaten fresh. This yields more nutrients and less harmful preservatives, meaning that you will feel energized, live longer, and prevent disease. Besides the obvious personal benefits of fresh foods, this food is better for the environment.

·         Even for you carnivores out there, fresh local meat is much tastier when free-range (i.e. this isn’t no-frills cardboard flavored chicken) and much better for you without all the steroids, hormones and antibiotics needed for industrial farming practices. Plus the vegans can approve because the animals live happier and healthier lives

These quotations make me feel that not only do we (students) need ECV (local vegetables), but we also need other food locally produced. We need fresh, quality and authentic food/vegetables.  We need a food that creates a long lasting relationship with us; a food from home; that tastes like home. But the price hikes and poor availability of ECV at the FM is making it hard to enjoy them.

Prepared by:

Kur Mayen

Undergraduate Research Assistant

ECVOntario, SEDRD

University of Guelph

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ECV Ontario Opportunities: Good Food Boxes

When we talk about food and food systems, one important issue that often arises is the conflict between trying to provide healthy and sustainable food at an affordable price and ensuring a fair income for the farmers that grow our food. This conflict is equally important in the Ontario ethno-cultural vegetable market. While many Ontario farmers express interest in growing these vegetables they need to ensure that this venture will be financially sustainable for them. This is important because while there is a great deal of consumption of these vegetables not everyone can afford to pay a premium for Ontario ECV.

Good Food Boxes are one strategy which has attempted to deal with this conflict in the wider vegetable market. These not-for-profit programs that exist in many Ontario towns (including Guelph, Toronto, Ottawa), create an enabling environment for the consumption of vegetables. They provide weekly or bi-weekly boxes of fresh (and local when possible) vegetables for families and individuals at a reasonable cost. These initiatives work to increase access to fresh food, support local farmers, and reduce food insecurity. In the interest of reducing food insecurity, many of these programs target new Canadians and low income Canadians.

As a consumer of Good Food Boxes, I know that many of these programs like to include at least one different or feature vegetable in each box. The goal of this often seems to be to encourage consumers to try new things and learn new recipes. These programs, therefore, certainly have potential to be an important market for Ontario grown ethno-cultural vegetables. In Toronto, for example, last year Food Share distributed some of the vegetables grown by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in their Good Food Boxes (Food Share, 2012). In past ECV Ontario research, we have discovered that some farmers face difficulties in finding reliable markets for their ECV produce. It seems that this may be an important opportunity for growers of ECV to explore (if they aren’t already!).

 

 

Food Share (2012). Exotic vegetables coming soon from a farmer near you. Retrieved from http://www.foodshare.net/media_archive231.htm .

Frances Dietrich-O’Connor, MSc Candidate

ECVOntario

SEDRD, University of Guelph

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ECVOntario Workshop

Announcement: ECV Ontario Workshop, February 17, 2012

We would like to announce the upcoming workshop on Ethno-Cultural Vegetables in Ontario. The one day workshop will explore opportunities and barriers in the ECV market in Ontario. The program for the day includes;

i.              Presentations on opportunities and barriers of the ECV market by different stakeholders,

ii.            A panel discussion on the production of ECV in Ontario,

iii.           Presentations of research findings by the University of Guelph team,

iv.           A documentary on ECV and 

v.            Sharing of experiences from all stakeholders on the way forward for ECV in Ontario. 

The workshop will be attended by experienced ECV stakeholders including researchers, producers, wholesalers, retailers, importers and students and will be held on Friday February 17, 2012 from 8.30am to 4.30pm at the John Eccles Centre, South Ring Road, Maritime Residence University of Guelph.

Lunch and coffee will be provided.

Funding for this project provided by the Knowledge Translation and Transfer (KTT) program under the OMAFRA-U of G Partnership

To attend, please RSVP by February 3, 2012 at http://ecvontario.eventbrite.com

Christine Kajumba & Frances Dietrich-O'Connor
Co-Facilitators, ECVOntario Workshop,
SEDRD, University of Guelph

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ECV ever present at OFT

Ontario Food Terminal (OFT) is easily Toronto’s vegetable and fruit hub. This hub is strategically adjacent to the 401 on the south-eastern rim of the city. It is a contemporary marketplace pulling buyers and sellers of fresh produce, which provides the city and province with a yearlong supply of fruits and vegetables. Every day it receives fresh produce from all over the world, which is then distributed nationwide.

The terminal is strictly a wholesale market and it has every facility to handle efficient operations. OFT is thorough in its operations, strictly observing health and safety procedures at all times. Regular inspections are carried out to make sure safe foods arrive at the market. All the sanitary measures and correct temperatures are maintained to preserve the fresh produce. Records of every consignment sold and received are also well kept. Some of the wholesalers have integrated backwards or/and forwards in the supply chain and have diversified their businesses. For instance, some have their own farms, storage, processing and packing facilities including transportation logistics, outside the terminal.

OFT is home to many large-scale fruit and vegetable importers as well as local suppliers. There are 21 large-scale warehouse tenants and 50 office tenants who are engaged in the wholesale of fresh vegetables and fruits. The average daily volume of fresh produce traded in this facility is about 5.1 million pounds per day. The average imported produce at the OFT varies from 65-75%, where local produce varies from 25-35% yearly. In summer months, there is a rise in the traded volume of local produce.

OFT is compromised of two major sections, the warehouse and the farmers market. The warehouse includes tenants who are registered wholesalers that import and source locally.  The farmers’ market on the other hand houses Ontario farmers, who sell their produce to retailers. Wholesalers operate year round selling large quantities of fresh produce, whilst the farmers market is open in the spring, summer and early part of fall. The local produce sold at the market mainly comes from Ontario and Quebec.

The farmers market is just as outfitted as the wholesale tenants. However, selling imported produce is a serious offence. There are more than 550 spaces allotted to farmers based on lease agreements. Currently there about 400 farmers registered at the OFT farmers market.

Retailers, the buyers at the OFT, provide a critical role in the foods market by bridging the gap between farmers, wholesalers and consumers. There are more than 5000 registered local buyers at OFT, which include supermarket chains and ethnic stores all over Canada, but mainly in Ontario. Buyers are provided with the opportunity to see and compare both local and imported vegetables and fruits before the purchase of any produce.  OFT is opened for 24 hours to the registered buyers, it is not opened to general public, because of the large volumes traded.

Most of the fruits and vegetables, including ECV imported to Canada, are from the United States, largely California, and Central and South America. Nations such as Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Guatemala and Colombia, contribute the bulk of Latin Americas produce.  There are also products from Europe and Asia and even as far as New Zealand. The sourcing process depends on the availability, cost and demand in the global as well as local economy.

During the last two decades there has been an increasing trend of more ECV in the OFT. According to a senior officer, changes in the demographic makeup of the GTA could be seen through the produce available and the buyers at OFT. In earlier years, Italian traders were the anomaly but as time passed they became the norm. As other cultures such as the Chinese, Korean, Iraqis, and South Asian integrates into the GTA landscape, there seems to be a need for ECV at the OFT.

According to the senior manager, local ECV growers sell their produce at the farmers market, in a special section called the “Chinese row”. Farmers have the opportunity to sell and compete with imported ECV produce in terms of price and quality. These Ontario growers have the advantage of proximity to market.  Most of the farmer’s that sell at the OFT are medium/large-scale farmers with experience and haggling is also allowed at the farmers market.

Similarly buyers have the freedom to choose their suppliers. Competition remains the highest in the summer time, which is the peak supply season. During spring, flowers and planting materials are also sold. Products vary from one season to the next. On any given day, farmers from different ethnic backgrounds can be observed, carefully negotiating, selecting and ordering produce, to cater to a growing nation rich in ethnic and cultural diversity.

By Steven Gitu & Yasantha Nawaratne  

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Farmers Markets As Exclusionary Spaces

 This semester, as part of my work with ECVOntario, I have been analyzing the data I gathered in summer on the availability of ECV at farmers markets. In addition to this work, I have also been reviewing related literature. As the research evolves, I have come to focus on the question: what determines what is sold at farmers’ markets. Although some external factors such as climate or rules imposed by farmers’ markets play partial roles in shaping what is sold at markets, in general, it can be assumed that the types of vegetables sold at farmers markets are determined by farmers’ choices. Although extensive literature exists to explain farmers’ choices, as of yet, little or no literature exists to explain farmers’ choices for what products to sell at farmers’ markets. Considering that farmers selling at farmers’ markets are in direct contact with consumers, one important factor influencing farmers decisions is likely consumer demand.

As indicated by my previous blog Farmers Markets: Are they for the Upper-Crust?, through my research, I found a very limited availability of ECV at farmers’ markets. One factor of interest that has come up through my research, which may, in part, explain the relative lack of ECV being sold at farmers markets, is the demand for particular crops. An emergent literature has started to explore the prevalent whiteness of alternative food movements such as farmers markets (Alkon & McCullen, 2011; Guthman 2008a, Guthman 2008b; and Slocum 2007). 

 

Through their studies of different alternative food movements and farmers’ markets, these authors have uncovered a number of ways in which the discourses of these movements may be working to exclude people from certain cultural groups. Alkon and McCullen (2011), for example, conducted an ethnographic study at two farmers’ markets in northern California. Their study sought to understand how whiteness is both performed and perpetuated at farmers’ markets. From their study, Alkon and McCullen (2011) identified a number of ways they saw whiteness working in the farmers markets’ they studied. To start, Alkon and McCullen (2011) identified the “romantic imagery surrounding small farmers as well as the imperative to buy directly from them” (p. 950). The article challenged this imagery and asserted that it ignored the historical role of race in American agriculture and “leads us to believe that the whites we see selling at the farmers market, rather than their mostly Latino/a employees, are those who presently grow our food” (p. 950). An additional way in which Alkon and McCullen (2011) perceive alternative food movements to be perpetuating whiteness is through discourses, which “paint alternative food choice as a moral rather than economic decision and normalizes affluence.” (p. 950).

Guthman (2008b), in a study of farmers’ market and community shared agriculture (CSA) managers,  identified similar ways in which discourses of alternative agricultural movements may be responsible for the prevalent whiteness of such movements. Guthman (2008b) found that the language used by several managers interviewed provided important examples of two manifestations of whiteness. The first is that for many managers interviewed, “color blindness or the absence of racial identifiers in language are seen as nonracist” (Guthman, 2008b, p. 390). As Guthman (2008b) asserts, this colour blindness “does its own violence by erasing the violence that the social construct of race has wrought in the form of racism” (p. 391). The second manifestation of whiteness identified by the study is universalism. For Guthman (2008), this universalism is represented by the assumption that values held predominantly by white people are the standard and it demonizes or downplays values held by others (Guthman, 2008b). This can be seen in discourses, which support farmers markets and alternative food movements unwaveringly and disregard anyone who may not find the same value from the movement. The aforementioned authors are careful to emphasize that they are not asserting that particular foods or alternative food practices are inherently white. That being said, these studies do indicate that there are a number of practices, which exclude non-white individuals from participating or wanting to participate in farmers’ markets and other alternative food movements. As I certainly cannot hope to do these authors justice in a short blog I recommend that anyone interested in this topic take a look at these important papers.

 

 

Frances Dietrich-O’Connor, MSc Candidate

ECVOntario

SEDRD, University of Guelph

 

Alkon, A.H. & McCullen, C. G. (2011). Whiteness and Farmers Markets: Performances, Perpetuations . . . Contestations? Antipode, 43(4) 937–959. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8330.2010.00818.x

Guthman, J. (2008a). Bringing good food to others: investigating the subjects of alternative food practice. Cultural Geographies 15 p. 431-447. doi: 10.1177/1474474008094315

Guthman J. (2008b) “If They Only Knew”: Color Blindness and Universalism in California Alternative Food Institutions. The Professional Geographer, 60(3) 387-297 DOI: 10.1080/00330120802013679

Slocum, R. (2007). Whiteness, space and alternative food practice Geoforum, 38, 520–533. doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2006.10.006

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atguelph article on ECV

A key component of knowledge translation and transfer is the creation of awareness. Atguelph just created public awareness about the fact that the demand for ECV exceeds supply: http://atguelph.uoguelph.ca/2011/11/demand-for-ethnocultural-vegetables-far-exceeds-supply/ .

ECVOntario

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