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BC Healthy Living Alliance – Food insecurity in BC webinar

December 6, 2016 @ 9:00 am - 10:30 am

Ripe for Change – Food Insecurity in BC 

Please join BC Healthy Living Alliance on Tuesday, December 6th from 9:00-10:30 am for an informative webinar on food insecurity in BC.

Food, wonderful food! It nourishes us, giving us the energy we need to lead active lives and provides a centre-point in important relationships as we cook for, and with each other, and join together for meals and special feasts.  But when food quality or quantity is compromised it creates stress and ultimately negative health consequences.

This webinar will delve into the current data and look at who is at risk for food insecurity in BC and what can be done about it. We hope to create a dynamic dialogue with many voices and opinions on how policy and practice can work to support food security for ALL British Columbians.

So please join us and add your perspective to the mix!

Featured Speakers:

Melanie Kurrein will share the findings of a recent research project that explored the characteristics and health implications of food insecure households in BC. She will also speak to her team’s ongoing work on food costing, which demonstrates the challenges low income families face in affording healthy food. The presentation will conclude with discussion of policy and practice implications.

Jammi Kumar will speak about the “First Nations Food Systems Program” a province wide project funded by the First Nations Health Authority and administered by Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada.  He will highlight what’s happening on the ground in First Nations communities – emphasizing what can be done to strengthen capacity and resilience.

Gerry Kasten will share key points from the new Dietitians of Canada position paper on Individual and Household Food Insecurity and introduce the audience to all of the associated resources. Gerry will also go through some of the actions that participants can undertake to start building more food secure communities.

 

Speaker Profiles: 

Melanie Kurrein is the Provincial Manager of Food Security with the Population and Public Health Team with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) at PHSA. She has worked in food security for over 15 years at both local (health authority) and provincial levels. As the Provincial Manager of Food Security, Melanie works closely with the regional health authorities, the First Nations Health Authority and the Ministry of Health to facilitate provincial collaboration and coordination of activities to inform food security policy and initiatives across the province. In her spare time Melanie loves to be outdoors and loves most things to do with food including cooking, gardening, eating and reading about food!

Gerry Kasten loves food! He was born to a farming family and still helps his brother bring in the harvest each year.  He has an Honours Diploma in Commercial Cooking and has both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Nutrition. He has worked in Public Health in BC for the past twenty-six years, has led the boards of directors of both Dietitians of Canada and the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation and is also an Adjunct Professor in UBC’s Dietetics program.  Gerry’s varied past has led him to a critical analysis of the constructions of gender, particularly as they are enacted through food.    He wants to live in a world where people celebrate food, sharing it with those they love, taking its pleasure without restraint because its flavour saturates their most sensuous appetites.

Jammi S. Kumar is the owner and operator of AgriFirst Canada, an independent consulting firm specializing in First Nations Agriculture Development.  He is a trained Agriculture Economist and a certified Professional Agrologist.  With 20 years of experience in international agricultural development, (Food and Agricultural Organization of United Nations) Jammi has expertise in areas of small farming systems development, capacity building and organizational design; providing solutions to complex issues that involve balancing of culture, environment and the business operations. Jammi served with the BC Ministry of Agriculture for nine years as First Nations Agribusiness Development Specialist.  In 2010, the “First Nations Community Foods Systems Project”, which he conceptualized, implemented and managed was recognized by the Premiers Award for “Innovation and Excellence in Public Service”

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6439341903781157122

Details

Date:
December 6, 2016
Time:
9:00 am - 10:30 am