Discovering Food Security: The University Student’s Perspective (Guest Post)

Hi Everyone, food security is complicated. Last year I had some great conversations Paige Courtice and Allie Stephen, who are currently 4th Year UBC Dietetic students about what food security means. Here are some of their thoughts and I invite you to think about what it might mean for you and comment below. A big thank you again for Allie and Paige for being patient with me and my many questions! Here is a picture of them below at Thanksgiving.

As two university students, we’re no strangers to shopping at No Frills or resorting to an improvised meal with whatever is in the freezer. Moving out from our parents’ homes and learning how to prepare and plan for meals on our own gave us a true “hands on” experience to engage in our own food security decisions. What’s cool about food security is that it can mean something different to everyone, and your definition can evolve and change over time. What we’ve discovered is that our definition of food security emphasizes acceptability, cost and community.

Food Acceptability:

For both of us, starting university in a new city meant we were moving into dorms and relying on our meal plan dollars to buy food from the cafeteria. This was a fairly smooth transition from living at home, since we just had to show up during the cafeteria’s hours of operation, pick our meal of choice, and swipe our meal card. As the year went on, we became increasingly aware that the variety we were used to when living at home was not as present in our meals living in residence. Some of the novelty wore off, and we began to recognize some personal food preferences were difficult to meet through the cafeteria’s selection. Acceptability is sometimes the forgotten component of the food security definition because (to some extent) it negates the “beggars can’t be choosers” model applied (unfairly) to eating. Food that is “acceptable” means that it meets not only nutritional requirements, but also personal preference. What we found living in residence was that although the food was available and accessible we were missing a sense of individuality and power when deciding what we wanted to eat. Have you ever been in a position where you can’t eat what you want (whether by living arrangement, limited food options in your grocery store or any other factors)?

Food Cost and Accessibility:

Finishing first-year now meant moving out of the dorms and into cafeteria-less living. It was quickly understood that getting to the grocery store needed to be added to the list of weekly to-dos, and what was bought had to be planned and purchased in order to last the week, without breaking the bank.

Finding a grocery store that was economical and accessible by either walking or public transit was an exercise in prioritizing our preferences; some grocery stores have smaller selection but great prices, whereas others have great selection at a higher cost. Unfortunately, this is when it became increasingly clear that some aspects of food security contradict each other. To achieve both sustainability and affordability was not within our budgets as students, although both were important to us. Developing your own food security identity means prioritizing what is most important to you – recognizing that these priorities may change.

The “starving student” persona is often applied to those in post-secondary because they tend to have a high amount of potential risk factors such as financial aid, academic and social pressures as well as food and food management skills that can vary drastically. With a long list of potential risk factors, there are also potential safety nets that can augment food security for students. For example food prices and grocery location vary for students, but can either contribute to or inhibit food security. In our particular situation we live in a larger city that gives us the choice to access and pay what we want for food- a luxury not all students, or Canadians, have. Consider why you shop at your chosen grocery store. Is it about cost? Convenience? Food selection? Answering these questions helps understand your own relationship to food, and even more so food security.

Social:

Now finishing our third year of stocking our own fridges, we have developed a distinct understanding of where we sit on the spectrum of food security. Yes, we are able to eat comfortably daily. No, we cannot have Lobster every week. Through understanding our own preferences and what compromises we have to make to stay within our means, we have been able to develop a sense of community within our food environment. This has taken the form of hosting Thanksgiving dinner, brunches, and other social events where we’ve been able to gather friends together around food.

The social aspect of food security is a key feature to us as it is the component that connects all of us to our food choices – whether it is suppliers, vendors, consumers or meal providers. The best meals are those shared with friends and families, with food you care about! Maybe it’s making a recipe your family ate all the time growing up, or trying out a new vegetable from the farmer’s market- recognizing whatever connects you is significant step to grow your own food environment.

Food security is a complex concept and a feature that affects everyone. Becoming food secure as an individual is an evolving process that is dependent on a number of factors, some of which are not easily altered, and will look different for every unique situation. It is the culmination of all of our experiences that is able to address food security on a larger scale- from financial barriers to improved agricultural practices- it takes a village! Keep in mind that your own personal definition of food security can be integrated into a broader definition. We invite you to think about your own definition of food security and how your experiences may feed into the experiences of others to enhance our food community.

Thanks for reading Paige and Allie’s hardwork via blog post! Please feel free to write below any thoughts to this post – and maybe some answers to Paige and Allie’s questions or more questions being sparked for you. It is important to stay open minded and keep asking questions since food security is so multifaceted.

Happy Tasting!

Irena