Image Credit: Kamloops Food Policy Council

By Saeideh Hejazi, Kamloops Food Policy Council

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Culturally appropriate food goes beyond the ingredients on a plate

Dec 14, 2024 | 6:00 AM

MANY DEFINITIONS of food sovereignty emphasize the right to access culturally relevant foods, including the following from La Via Campesina: “Food sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.”

In our community engagement and food dialogue article for the 2024 Food and The City project, we identified “cultural disconnection from food practice” which refers to a lack of access to culturally appropriate food options and practices, as one of the barriers to achieving our vision of fostering a local food system that is regenerative, sovereign and just.

But what does “culturally appropriate food” mean?

Culturally appropriate food goes beyond simply the ingredients on a plate; it reflects the rich tradition and practices involved in food preparation and enjoyment, according to IP3. It means thinking about where the food is prepared, how it is served, when you eat the food and who you’re sharing it with. This experience enriches our connection to the food, to our cultural roots, and to each other.

The following traditional foods pyramid, created by Jared Qwustenuxun Williams, an Indigenous chef and Salish cultural educator, illustrates how the layers of the Indigenous food system from Teachings to Eating work in harmony to form culture. The whole process creates joy and unforgettable moments that we just can’t experience without a traditional and cultural food system.

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The traditional food pyramid. (Image Credit: Qwustenuxun Consulting)

“Culturally preferred foods” is another term used to describe safe and nutritious foods that cater to the diverse tastes and needs of customers to reflect their cultural identities, according to PHAC.

At the Kamloops Food Policy Council, we deeply understand the vital role that equitable access to culturally relevant foods plays in supporting the well-being of our diverse communities. Honouring different food traditions enhances community bonds and fosters cultural appreciation.

To tackle the issue of “cultural disconnection from food practices” highlighted earlier in this article, and to raise awareness about where to find or produce culturally appropriate food ingredients in Kamloops, we have contributed to several projects for the Thrive program in partnership with the Kamloops Naturalist Club since this past spring. The primary objective of this initiative is to enhance learning experiences for youth, particularly focusing on Indigenous, newcomer and immigrant youth. This work has included, but is not limited to:

• Multicultural seed-starting workshop In March, we organized a multicultural seed-starting workshop at The Stir for newcomer youth and their families in collaboration with the Kamloops Naturalist Club and Kamloops Immigrant Services (Image 2). During the workshop, we started thirty-nine different seed varieties, some of which were later planted at the Butler Urban Farm. The participants were invited to join us at the farm throughout the growing season to help harvest these cultural crops (Image 3).
  Multicultural seed-starting workshop at The Stir in March 2024. (Image Credit: Kamloops Food Policy Council)
  Children from Kamloops Immigrant Services’ summer camp visited Butler Urban Farm for a hands-on experience in planting and harvesting during the summer of 2024. (Image Credit: Kamloops Immigrant Services)
• Kamloops cultural food assets map Where can you find culturally appropriate foods in Kamloops? Last year, we shared our Kamloops Food Assets Index with the community. We are now developing a user-friendly map representing the cultural food providers’ locations in the Kamloops area. This map aims to help newcomers better access culturally relevant foods and to allow everyone to explore the diversity of multicultural cuisine more easily. We plan to finalize this map by March 2025 and make it available on the Kamloops Food Policy Council website.

Our long-term goal is to update the Kamloops cultural food assets map regularly and to expand it to include low-cost and free food resources in Kamloops. To achieve this, we are seeking sufficient funding to implement our plan. In the meantime, the community can benefit from the quarterly published Kamloops meal calendar and free food resource list on our website.

If you have any questions or suggestions for these projects, please contact us at info@kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.