Problems

Click on the problem category below if you'd like to see the details on problems of the Canadian food system .  These are quick summaries that set the stage for discussion of solutions on the rest of the site.

General

Food insecurity
Lack of resilience

Health

Poor diet and increased morbidity and mortality
Contaminants
Antibiotic resistant bacteria
Reduced food quality

Environment

Biodiversity loss
Narrowing of the gene pool
Air, water, soil pollution
GHG emissions and energy inefficiency
Soil erosion
Inefficiencies: solar, land, water, nutrients and animal metabolism
Food waste
Fisheries

Socio-cultural and equity

Land consolidation and land grabs
Loss of rural culture and amenities
Loss of commensality and increased isolation
Community marginalization
Racism

Economy and income

Low income for many farmers
Low income for food system workers
Corporate concentration
Market failure
Labour force maldevelopment
Reliance on exports and imports
Transportation inefficiencies
The new technologies (artificial intelligence, blockchain, GPS, genetic engineering)

Place

Placeless food
Trade agreements
Loss of regional infrastructure

Planning

Inequitable access to food retail
Limitations on urban food production
Failure to protect agricultural land
For more, see ....

Education

Limited food literacy
Separation of food from education
For more on these problems, see Goal 3, Integrating food into educational processes

Governance and Policy change

Constitutional obstacles
Consolidation of decision making
For more ....