Toronto, ON – At a time when Black Canadians are experiencing the highest rate of food insecurity among racialized groups in this country – with Black communities in Toronto now 3.5 times more likely to experience food insecurity than their white neighbours — Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) researchers are calling for more sustainable Black-focused, community-based food programs.
“There’s a dire need in Black communities and it’s not simply a matter of not having enough food,” said TMU assistant professor Emmanuel Kyeremeh. “When they do visit one of the food programs that could help address their needs, Black people are telling us they’re stigmatized, they can’t find culturally appropriate options and it’s compounding the challenges they already face.”
Kyeremeh and co-researcher Julian Hasford will present preliminary findings from a demonstration project aimed at creating evidence-informed food initiatives to help Black families in Toronto at the upcoming Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences (Congress 2025), Canada’s leading academic gathering and one of the most comprehensive in the world, taking place May 30 to June 6 in Toronto.
Billed as a leading conference on the critical conversations of our time, Congress 2025 — themed “Reframing togetherness” — serves as a platform for the unveiling of thousands of research papers and presentations from social sciences and humanities experts worldwide. With more than 7,000 scholars, graduate students and practitioners expected to participate, the event will challenge attendees to model togetherness by working across differences, questioning hierarchies, and bridging divides in knowledge and experience to tackle the world’s most persistent challenges.
In their Congress presentation, the researchers will discuss findings from more than 95 focus groups and 250 surveys, aimed at uncovering lived experiences of food insecurity among Toronto Black communities and learning more about how they access food support programs. The work, part of a demonstration project funded by the Walmart Foundation, is being carried out through a partnership with the Black Health Alliance and the Afri-Can FoodBasket (AFB), an organization pioneering a progressive food movement to enhance cultural food access.
“Our broad objective is to create a culturally affirming food intervention which aims to improve health outcomes of Black communities and also, in a way, to promote sustainable health practices among this community,” said Kyeremeh, adding that outcomes from the study will be used to inform policies related to addressing poverty and employment discrimination, as well as to build a web of support for Black families by fostering stronger partnerships between local support organizations and community health centres.
One of the key findings is that it’s often difficult for people to access food banks because of their identity as Black people. Some study participants reported issues of discrimination when accessing traditional food support programs; for others, the stigma is cultural.
“Within some Black and African communities, there’s a taboo around having to beg for food, with one participant sharing stories of families who claim they’d rather die than go to a food bank,” said Hasford, an associate professor in TMU’s School of Child and Youth Care. “The sentiment is not universal, but it underscores the importance of considering culture when creating food programs.”
In addition, participants talked about the importance of being able to access fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables that form the basis of their cultural diet, citing import restrictions and high prices as a barrier. As a result, the researchers will also be looking at innovative ways to offer fresh food staples, such as establishing partnerships with grocery stores or urban famers.
The research project builds on work the AFB is already doing to fight food insecurity in Black communities, which includes delivering weekly baskets of fresh, culturally appropriate food directly to vulnerable Black families and coordinating bi-weekly pop-up pantries within Toronto’s African, Caribbean and Black Communities. New initiatives are expected to launch this summer to help refer more vulnerable families to the AFB and provide more opportunity for culturally appropriate food education, for example.
“A lot of what people talk about is dignity and how important food is to their culture,” said Hasford. “Sometimes there’s this assumption that when you rely on a food support program, you should take what you get. What we’re learning is that part of being human and living a healthy life is eating foods that are familiar and fresh.”
Organized by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences in partnership with George Brown College, Congress 2025 is sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Universities Canada, Colleges and Institutes Canada, University Affairs, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Sage, and The Conversation Canada.
Registration – which includes 100+ keynote and open Congress sessions, with a virtual attendance option for many presentations – is $30. Visit https://www.federationhss.ca/en/congress2025 to register for a community pass and access the program of events open to the public.
Source: GBPR
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