Anybody Could be at Risk:Food (In)Security within the

University of Northern British Columbia

Annie L. BoothProfessor

Ecosystem Science and Management Program

Melanie AndersonEnvironmental Studies

University of Northern British Columbia

Canada

Food insecurity can affect anyone, even those you may think would never have to

deal with that life challenge.

Anyone can be food insecure, depending on life

circumstances.UNBCStaffMember

Food insecurity is defined as

“the inability to access and procure, through conventional avenues, nutritionally adequate foods capable of supporting an active and health life. ” (Micevski et al. 2014)

Recent research demonstrates • a considerable range in the levels of

food insecurity among post-secondary students across different institutions and countries,

• ranging from an estimated 10.2% to a high of 59% of students surveyed

No research considers food security among post-secondary staff and

faculty

In 2015 a study of food security was undertaken at the University of Northern British Columbia

Study included • Undergraduate and Graduate (Masters and PhD) • Academic staff (union and non-union)• Faculty (tenure-track, non-tenure and librarians)

Study used mixed methods• Interviews with key informants• Web survey with closed and open-ended

questions

Response Rates

Total survey responses 400

% of total population

Students 216 7%

Undergrad 164 6.5%

Grad 49 8.6%

Union and Non-Union Staff 131 33.4%

Faculty 53 15.5%

GenderMale 89Female 302Other 20

Student Food Insecurity

• 60% of all participating students indicated they had had episodes of not being able to eat properlywithin the previous year• 38% could not eat well due to a

lack of money, and • 65% suffered from a lack of time

When asked in different ways, however,

Impact of Food Insecurity on Students

41% of students said that the inability to eat well had affected their ability to study or take classes or to do their best at either

13% experienced this on a daily or weekly basis

“Because of costs of living and tuition, I have had go without eating myself in an effort to make sure that my children have had enough to eat at home and at school.”

“There are International students who come early to residence. One girl didn't eat for three days until her roommate moved in. Thankfully a mom helped her out and brought it to [the attention of Residence staff].”

“A busy schedule gives you a lack time or a lack of energy to prep. Further, when you are unable to work, such as having to leave town for school, money gets extremely tight and I have to budget to be able to eat and live alone.”

“Sometimes we have limited budgets for shopping, this gets more obvious in winter months when the cost of heating competes with groceries.”

“There was a large span of time during the summer where I was waiting for my fall stipend that I was living off of ~$15/week. I had staples (rice, oats) but couldn't afford to do much in the way of fresh produce.”

“I used it a few times last year and felt bad, so took very minimally. My circumstances have been harder this year so I didn't feel guilty as I genuinely knew I needed the food.”

“I have never used the food bank. It is always hard to ask for help, as I am not sure if I deserve it. There are less fortunate than me in our school.”

“I would be extremely embarrassed by the experience. There's a strong element of indignity/stigma associated with turning to handouts.”

Food Banks??

“After an event with food order is finished I/we get approached by students who ask whether there is some left-over food for hungry students. We encourage those young adults to eat/take as much as they like ... the waste of food after conferences/events is very distressing for food insecure students.”

“I have a stash of food in my office. On more than one occasion I have given it away to a student who had not eaten all day. I also carry grocery cards and have given those away. A couple of times, I have taken students grocery shopping and paid for their groceries.”

Other Responses??

“I don’t like asking for help because I feel like I should be able to take care of myself, but this is not the case. School is expensive and even with student loans, the money to live is not enough, even with a part-time job in retail. The stress of trying to juggle all these issues is not easy to deal with and it makes me feel guilty that I can’t do better on my own.”

But in the end…

• 7% are either very food insecure or food insecure

HOWEVER:

• 39% also reported that they cannot eat in a healthy way, • 15% due to poverty and • 57% due to a lack of time

Union and non-Union Staff

• 8.4% of all women reporting being food insecure • 4.8% of all men

• 10% of the 46-55 years were food insecure, and • 100% of those over 55 years

were food insecure

• Staff with permanent positions have highest levels of insecurity• 12.5% for those part-time, and • 8.4% for full-time positions.

• Staff with higher salaries have highest level of food insecurity• 9.5% for those with high salaries, and • 10.8% for those with moderate

salaries, but• 2.9% with low salaries

13% reported that being unable to eat well affected their ability to do their job

52% reported they would not have anyone to approach in the case of a financial emergency

“During the faculty strike, I could not afford food and only ate once a day.”

“The loss of salary during faculty job action made a huge impact on my ability to buy groceries, as I'm supporting 3 people. I made sure my college age kids ate well, but I did not.”

“I am aware of a co-worker that was extremely worried about her food security during the faculty strike earlier this year. She is a single mom with no family in town and was extremely embarrassed to have to visit the food bank to feed her family.”

“I have colleagues that are in extremely precarious situations. I have provided food to colleagues on more than one occasion.”

“Some members are single-parents in fairly low-paying jobs and their circumstances may not give them the ability to supplement their income. Rental prices are getting higher and higher and so a large portion of take-home pay is going towards rent, leaving them less income for food.”

“I often had insufficient time to shop for groceries and to cook, and so I did not eat enough, which exacerbated stress. This is more problematic in that I can't afford paying to enter the cafeteria and don't feel that that is the right way to manage a community's relationship with its food.”

“UNBC does nothing in the way of making it easier. There is no flex time in our office, and working through lunch and going home early or having altered hours has never been discussed, much less offered.

As an employee, I can only come to the conclusion that UNBC simply doesn't care one iota about the health or well being of its staff or their families.”

• 8% of faculty members are food insecure or very food insecure

• 8.6% of men are moderately to severely food insecure, and

• 6.7% of women

• 22.2% of those 56-65 years old were food insecure,

• 7.1% of the 36-45 years old were food insecure

Faculty

• 20% of Librarians were food insecure, • 20% of Senior Laboratory Instructors

were food insecure

• 8.3% of tenured faculty were food insecure

• ALL tenure-track faculty were secure

• 14.3% with higher salaries were food insecure, and

• 11.1% of those at the mid-level salaries were food insecure

However, food insecurity has other dimensions!

• 48% of faculty reported being unable to eat well

• 95% of all faculty said they had trouble eating well due to time constraints and work demands

• 15% said that this affected their ability to perform their job

• 42% of faculty had no one to turn to for help during a challenging circumstance.

“I have access to healthy foods but my working conditions prevent me from having adequate breaks and time for self-care, including healthy eating and exercise.”

“I tend to eat less healthy when I am under stress (e.g. overloaded with work).”

“For the most past, my access to healthy food is quite high. I think time to prepare it properly is the greater issue.”

“Scheduling meal times (lunch in particular) does not seem to be a UNBC priority.”

Preferences for Solutions Between Students, Staff & Faculty

More potlucks and more events that focus around food. sharing of recipes.

Workshops, lectures, courses on daily shopping for food with healthy choices and extending the budget to be able to have the healthier choices.

Food vouchers at campus eateries for those in need for as long as need be.

A drop in centre for a free meal if needed.

Access to a kitchen where people can come together as group cooking. They get to divide food.

Having a coordinator or facilitation of this type of service widely advertised as a private and confidential service...people may not want to discuss dire needs.

“Treat food as the centre of our community.”

“Food insecurity can affect anyone, even those you may think would never have to

deal with that life challenge.Anyone can be food insecure, depending

on life circumstances.”

In the end, remember two key concepts