The Nunavut Food Security Coalition today released the Nunavut Food Security Strategy and Action Plan on the first day of the national Hunger Awareness Week. The aim is to provide all Nunavummiut with an adequate supply of safe, culturally preferable, affordable, nutritious food, and incorporate a food system that promotes Inuit Societal Values, more self-reliance and environmental sustainability.
Six themes have been identified that structures the strategy and action plan: country food, store-bought food, local food production, life skills, programs and community initiatives, and policy and legislation.
“Reducing hunger and increasing food security is a collective responsibility of individuals, organizations and government and that is why the groundwork of the coalition is so important,” said Monica Ell, Minister of Health, Government of Nunavut. “The strategy and action plan, which we have already been implementing, is designed to be a tangible blueprint to address the availability, accessibility, quality and use of food.”
The coalition is a task group of the Nunavut Roundtable for Poverty Reduction, and co-chaired by the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Coalition members include government departments, Inuit organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
“In 2010, we learned that the majority of Inuit households, including those with school-aged children, experience severe food insecurity, which affects the health and well-being and impedes an individual’s participation at school and work,” said NTI Vice-President James Eetoolook. “Through our collaborative efforts on the Nunavut Food Security Coalition, NTI is committed to the full implementation of the action plan, and we hope to ensure all Nunavummiut have access to affordable, nutritious foods to ensure success at school and in the workplace.”
Through the implementation of the strategy and action plan, the Nunavut Food Security Coalition ensures efforts translate into significant progress toward achieving its collective vision of a food secure Nunavut.
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Media Contacts:
Audrey Lemieux
Communications and Social Marketing Analyst
Department of Health
Government of Nunavut
867-975-5949
Kerry McCluskey
Director of Communications
Department of Corporate Services
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
867-975-4914
