There was grim news from the United Nations (UN) report released earlier this month about progress to end world hunger by 2030. The bottom line is that efforts have stalled.
In its annual State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, the UN said approximately 733 million people faced hunger in 2023.
“We are in a worse situation today than nine years ago when we launched this goal to eradicate hunger by 2030,” said David Laborde of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
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A goal to ensure regular access to adequate food has also stalled over the past three years, with 29 per cent of the global population, or 2.33 billion people, experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity in 2023.
This news came 10 days before Food Day Canada, a celebration of Canadian food held Aug. 3.
It grew out of the World’s Longest Barbecue, held 21 years ago in response to the BSE (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy) crisis, and today has evolved into a celebration of those who produce our food.
As citizens are encouraged to shop, cook and dine Canadian, it may be tempting to think the hunger problems facing other parts of the world are far removed from our reality.
However, Canada is not immune to food insecurity. If there are any doubts, just look at the number of food banks and the number of people they serve.
As well, our food system has grown particularly volatile this summer.
A glaring example is the empty grocery store shelves at local co-ops in Western Canada as Federated Co-operatives Ltd. continues to recover from a cyberattack earlier this summer.
This may not seem like a major problem for those who can simply drive to another grocery store, but it left many residents vulnerable, particularly those in rural areas who don’t have many options.
Last month’s CrowdStrike software outage also laid bare the supply chain’s vulnerability to technological malfunctions.
Adding to the volatility are recent troubles at two Canadian grain handlers. Global Foods and Ingredients shut down operations in May, and the Canadian Grain Commission revoked its licences.
Then, late last month, the grain commission revoked the licence of LSM Grain Ltd., based in Saskatoon, which bought pulses, oilseeds and cereals to supply the food, pet food and animal food industries.
These companies were not major players in the Canadian food system, but their problems are not good news for producers.
Then there’s the potential labour disruption at both of Canada’s major railways, which may manifest just as harvest looms.
Combined with the usual challenges of weather, markets and interest rates, these developments increase volatility faced by Canada’s food system.
It’s a reminder that it’s not enough to just produce food. We also have to ensure it gets into the hands of those who need it.
Food Day Canada is an excellent time to reflect on possible solutions to this challenge. As we do so, however, it’s also an excellent time to note that Canadian farmers should be proud of their accomplishments in food production and farming techniques developed in recent decades.
This nation may not have reached all its sustainability goals, and hunger remains a problem, but there has been amazing progress with doubtless more to come.
Canadian farmers’ ability to grow food in the middle of a vast continent and deliver it around the world is truly remarkable.
That’s also something worthy of reflection this national food day.
