Security takes many forms, and it is something we all crave as humans. We need to know that we are safe from attack, from destitution, from sickness, that our children can grow and prosper, that there will be a sense of peace and order within our lives. When there is an absence of this feeling of security, we are plagued with fear and anxiety, which, when it rears its ugly head, can further destabilize our sense of security, in a downward spiral of emotion.
Food security is a topic we commonly overlook, but it is intrinsically linked to all those other aspects of the subject. Wars have been fought for food resources, and a safe source of nutrition is necessary for us to be a strong, healthy, prosperous society.
Yet, this is slowly being eroded away. The previous Harper government reduced inspection services, which led to more outbreaks of e-Coli and listeria. But even before then, the food industry had been dictating terms on what was to be considered healthy and nutritious, and the explosion of processed foods has had detrimental effects upon our health as a society, culminating in the growth of obesity and diabetes through each subsequent generation.
We are losing our ability to produce foods for ourselves, along with the control over those foods, as more and more of that production takes place outside of Canada. If you look on your grocery store shelves, more and more of our diet is no longer locally or nationally produced, as it travels overseas for processing, returning at a greater cost, with lower nutritional value. This increase in costs for our weekly grocery bill is something that we are noticing more and more as our dollar’s purchasing power declines. And this will negatively impact our diet eventually.
We are losing control of our food production, which undermines our autarky, our ability to be self-sufficient, and the evidence has been present in the aging population of farming. It is not a business that younger generations want to be in because of the diminishing returns. What cash crops we do produce are now mostly exported, because that is where profits can be made. What returns, as a value-added product, can no longer be guaranteed for food safety, because this is no longer under the control of our government.
All of these issues undermine our food security, but more importantly, it is symptomatic of our general need for security.
The European Union had realized this from its beginning, and it created the Common Agricultural Policy to ensure food security for its citizens. Though there were some flaws in its policies, it has been one thing the Europeans are assured of – they will not go hungry. Can our governments make the same claims? Maybe our governments should look into these ideals. Even then the Roman Empire understood that when you kept the mob fed and entertained, you maintained the stability of your society. And that would make us feel more secure.
John Kennair is an international consultant and doctor of laws who lives in St. Albert.
