Nutrition North and the high cost of food

One issue I wanted to explore during my time in Moose Factory, was the high price of food in remote communities. Moose Factory itself is not included in the Nutrition North subsidy program, although food in Moose Factory/Moosonee is significantly higher than down South. However, many other communities in the health district do partake in the subsidy program.

A little on the Nutrition North program...   

The Nutrition North subsidy is a federal program that provides retailers and food processors located in Northern communities, with no year round surface transportation ( no permanent road, rail, or marine access), subsidies on perishable foods (fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, milk, and cheese). The program is a market driven model, so retailers apply to the program, and if accepted the subsidy is transferred directly to the store. Businesses are then accountable to pass on the subsidy to the consumer. Restaurants and social institutions, such as day cares or schools, are also eligible for this subsidy.  

Fruits, vegetables, meat, milk, and eggs are eligible for a higher subsidy rate than combination foods such as pizza or lasagna.

The main question, which has drawn criticism of the program, is how much of the subsidy finds its way to the citizens of these communities? A “market driven model” such as the Nutrition North program, encourages business growth in these communities by making them more profitable. It does not guarantee nutritious and affordable food will be available in Northern communities. This is not to say that business is bad, and that the government should fully control the food entering these communities. It is just to say that without proper oversight and transparency, these businesses providing the service could profit at the expense of the communities. It comes as no surprise then that the most successful initiatives for providing food to remote communities have been generated from within.

As the Wawatay news reported in September 2011, Fort Albany is a good example of a community who organized to fill a hole in the subsidy program. The community started up a food security committee in January 2011, with concern of affordable nutritious food as its focal point. The community partnered with Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s True North Community Cooperative, which provides remote communities with nutritious food boxes, subsidized through Nutrition North Canada. The program is like a bulk buying club for the community, which cuts out the retailer, and most of the food comes from stores in Cochrane or Timmins. The food is then sold, in the style of a farmer’s market, at cost to the community. 

It is creative ideas such as this that are needed to provide remote communities with accessible nutritious food. The community took advantage of the subsidy to better fulfill the needs of its people, instead of going through a retailer like the Northern store.   

A discussion thread for anyone interested in learning more about how Northern Nutrition Canada has impacted communities can be found here: 
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!topic/northern_food/Pdkgrd-xYXg