Food insecurity among students has been prevalent for years and due to COVID-19, there are now more barriers to overcome to access safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food. With the closure of all university and college campuses across the country, students lost access to resources and food supports on campuses as well. Our program assistant Alison Bennett and previous co-op student, Rebecca Lawrence, completed a project pre-pandemic to look into the gap in the food system where students are overlooked. For some background on how big of an issue student food insecurity is, check out their work below.
As we both reflected on our experiences with food programs at our respective universities, it was evident that both universities used differing initiatives to help address student hunger. The topic of food insecurity among students piqued our interest as we recognized this critical issue, and we wanted to know more about some measures that are being taken to address this problem in post-secondary schools in NL.
Food Insecurity among post-secondary students in Canada, Meal Exchange Canada
Student food insecurity is an issue that affects students nation-wide, with 2 in every 5 students feeling the negative impacts associated with the problem (1). At Memorial University, 40% of students surveyed experienced food insecurity, and students at the university are four times more likely to experience food insecurity compared to the province’s general population (2). Among these students, certain subgroups of the student population such as international students, parents, and students living off-campus are particularly susceptible to facing challenges when it comes to putting food on the table (2). Food insecurity is becoming normalized as part of the student experience, but this negatively affects students’ academic achievement and their mental health.
Lisa Blundell is a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health and is currently a Doctoral Candidate. She has been researching food issues at Memorial University. According to her:
"The prevalence of food insecurity among Canadian post-secondary students is estimated to be nearly four times that of the general population of Canada. Food security is a recognized determinant of health, and the 'starving student' stereotype must be recognized as socially unacceptable. Post-secondary institutions, as well as provincial and federal governments, have a responsibility to address food insecurity and can not simply ignore the rising concern of hungry students."
Before COVID-19 enveloped the lives of everyone, the Campus Food Bank at MUN served all post-secondary students in the area, employees, and alumni. Of the people who access this food bank regularly, international students were among the highest users. There was a 40.92% increase in overall usage between 2017 and 2019. This highlights just how important services such as these are for students, and how many students are struggling to make ends meet. However, due to COVID-19, the Campus Food Bank had to close its door on March 16th and is only just starting to begin reopening conversations with the university.
For university students who require transportation, MUN also offered a free grocery store shuttle for students, however, they have ceased operations until further notice. The campus also offers a community garden that is usually accessible to all students but is not accepting new members this year due to the pandemic. It goes to show that many of the available food resources for students have been affected by the pandemic.
While CNA does not have a food bank, they do have a student emergency fund available to students who upon assessment prove to be in need. Counsellors at the college can tap into the emergency fund if deemed necessary to purchase grocery store gift cards if students are struggling to afford food. Now, CNA stepped up to help their students by initiating a temporary COVID-19 Relief Fund as they recognized the negative impacts the pandemic is having on students.
Unfortunately for international students, they are left out of the Canada Student Emergency Benefit (CESB), yet they are the population attending post-secondary that are more likely to be food insecure and use the resources available to them. Additionally, the CESB is much less than the Canada Emergency Response Benefit which has created a two-tiered system, not providing students (and their families) with a liveable income.
As stated before, the pandemic is not the cause of student food insecurity but it is magnifying the problem that has existed for years. If you are wondering how you can support your local college and university students, consider donating to the MUN food bank or the CNA student emergency fund and keep this conversation going!
You can find updates on:
MUN food bank here: https://www.mun.ca/campusfoodbank/About_Us.php
MUN Community Garden here: https://www.mun.ca/communitygarden/
CNA COVID-19 Bursary Application https://www.cna.nl.ca/news/pdfs/COVID-19-Relief-Bursary.pdf
Meal exchange offers resources and possible funds https://www.mealexchange.com/ and https://www.goodfoodproject.ca/
Canadian Federation of Students is advocating for students during COVID-19 https://cfs-fcee.ca/covid-19/
Rebecca Lawrence is a co-op student who is currently completing her final year at Memorial University and Alison Bennett completed her schooling at Acadia University last year and now works at Food First NL.
(2) Blundell, L., Mathews, M., Bowley, C., & Roebothan, B. (2019). Determining Student Food Insecurity at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research, 80(1), 14–21. doi: 10.3148/cjdpr-2018-026
