Assembly of First Nations – Built on collaborative research with 92 First Nations across the country – 7,000 participants over 10 years – the FNFNES highlights that traditional foods remain foundational to First Nations’ health and well-being, and that the quality of traditional food is superior to store bought food. However, due to environmental degradation, socioeconomic, systemic and regulatory barriers, many First Nations face three to five times the rate of food insecurity than the Canadian population overall. Families with children are affected to an even greater degree.

The FNFNES partners urge decision-makers to use the key findings and recommendations, being released the week after World Food Day, to inform policies and programs to address First Nations food insecurity and sovereignty.

The six primary recommendations are:

1. Support initiatives promoting First Nations rights, sovereignty, self-determination, values and culture.
2. Prioritize protecting the environment, First Nations lands, waters and territories.\
3. Build capacity to eliminate barriers to proper nutrition, reducing food insecurity.
4. Improve partnerships, collaboration and communication between First Nations and all levels of government, as well as partnerships between First Nations to support sharing information about food, nutrition and the environment.
5. Support continuing research, education and public awareness.
6. Create a First Nations-led joint national task force or committee to plan how to implement these recommendations.

“For First Nations, traditional food represents much more than nutrition, it plays important cultural, spiritual and ceremonial roles. There is an urgent need to address systemic problems and barriers relating to First Nations food systems, security and sovereignty in a way that honours First Nations knowledge, leadership and rights. New programs, policies and legislation must be created to protect the environment from further degradation and ensure that First Nations have access to a healthy diet, including traditional food,” says AFN Senior Director of Environment Lands and Water and FNFNES Principal Investigator Tonio Sadik.

Now complete, the FNFNES identified areas needing further study. Its core partners are collaborating on another multi-year research project called the Food, Environment, Health and Nutrition of First Nations Children and Youth (FEHNCY) study. Like the FNFNES, this study is being funded by Indigenous Services Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch.
http://www.fnfnes.ca/docs/CRA/FNFNES_Final_Key_Findings_and_Recommendations_20_Oct_2021.pdf