Indigenous Food Systems Network

In recent decades Indigenous Peoples globally have experienced rapid and dramatic shifts in lifestyle that are unprecedented in history. Moving away from their own self-sustaining, local food systems into industrially derived food supplies, these changes have adverse effects on dietary quality and health.

Over the past month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has embarked on a concentrated effort in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, threatening area businesses with fines unless they remove their ungraded farm-fresh eggs from store shelves. Close to a dozen businesses that Deconstructing Dinner is aware of have received such a visit. This episode hears from a number of those businesses including comments on the issue from the BC Egg Marketing Board, the CFIA and the regional health authority Interior Health.

Updated: June 2, 2009

"We believe it is much better to prevent a cancer than to treat it after it has developed."
Dr. David McLean, Head, BC Cancer Agency Prevention Programs

Did you know that more than 50% of cancers are preventable? What you eat, whether you smoke, your level of activity, and how you spend time in the sun are all lifestyle choices that can affect your chances of getting cancer - and your chances of preventing it.

You can also protect yourself through the BC Cancer Agency's Screening Programs, which can detect breast and cervical cancer at early stages.

The Wilderness Committee works with bands to help protect wildlands and on community development projects. We specialize in working with bands that want to protect special parts of their territory as tribal parks and restore reserve lands to maximize local food production. We have observed that on-reserve community development projects like farms help get youth more healthy.

A website for those with food sensitivity to gluten and wheat.

Harvest Mccampbell is dedicated to food and culture.

Community Linkages Soup Bus Project

Designed to provide mobile food distribution, support, education, and referrals to Aboriginal individuals and families with multiple barriers, including limited access to other community kitchen programs in the community of Prince George, BC.

Objectives of the Project

1)Improve Health & Nutrition:

a)Community Linkages serves 575 meals per week to program participants from the Friendship Centre’s Smokehouse Kitchen. Each meal consists of: Soup, sandwich, bannock, juice, and fruit or vegetables.

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating for First Nations, Inuit, and Metis.

Here is a link to the website where PDF versions are available. Also there are links to view the document in Inukitut, Ojibwe, Plains Cree, and Woods Cree.

You can order hard copies of these Guides FOR FREE! Up to 100 copies, free postage.

Are drug-resistant sea lice from Nootka Sound fish farms being introduced to Discovery Passage, posing an enormous threat to wild salmon and farmed fish throughout the Inside Passage?

That's a concern being raised by Alexandra Morton but rejected this week by the province and Grieg Seafoods.

The provincial government must be pressured through the courts and through direct action to put a stop to the very serious situation that is causing sea lice to drive the most important source of protein in Indigenous diets to near extinction.

Supersize Me meets Northern Exposure in My Big, Fat Diet when the Namgis First Nation of Alert Bay gives up sugar and junk food, returning to a traditional style of eating for a year to fight obesity and diabetes.