Food Guide-less
A Critique on the 2019 Canadian Food Guide and the Globalization of Food
The Government of Canada has reviewed their Food Guide and visualized a colourful meal on a plate: half being produce, one quarter having grains, and a second quarter with an amalgamation of alternative proteins. The alternative category contains legumes, lentils, meats and diary, however suggests more plant based proteins instead of animal by products. Although there are economic and ethical deficits in the meat and dairy industries, within Canada, there seems to be an over sight when pertaining to globally imported foods. These imported goods make-up a greater percent in the inventory of Canadian supermarkets as opposed to locally grown Canadian foods. Now that meat and dairy are no longer being advertised as a staple in the Canadian diet, what does this say about Health Canada and their support to Canadians. How does the 2019 Canadian Food Guide refrain from supporting Canada’s agricultural economy and promote the globalization of food?
As consumers we can understand and acknowledge the physicality of food, but why not their counterparts of the sticker which validates their multinational belonging? By isolating the verbiage of these stickers, Canadians are so used to throwing away, the image forces you to read the origins of these invisible foods. We need and should ask how did this avocado get on my plate? These three meals represent the daily spreads Canadians are now praised to eat in 2019. In the assemblage of the stickers and packaging, I am not favoring one country of cultivation over the other, rather I am evenly dividing both the Canadian grown products to the globally imported ones. This is the best representation of diversity I can create during Canada's summer months. I can fairly acknowledge that there are Canadian products represented on these plates, however this is just the peak of support from the agricultural economy and yet we are still importing a large portion our foods.
Although Canadians are becoming more aware of and their contribution towards a less sustainable economy within the agricultural industry, there still requires better communication in the Canadian government to support their local farmers. A slow food movement should be in order to support food sovereignty within Canada and to encourage the country's economic sustainability.