Cambridge & North Dumfries
FOOD REPORT City of Cambridge Photo Gallery
MESSAGE FROM OUR COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
The city of Cambridge and the township of North Dumfries are a mix of urban and rural living in the Region of Waterloo. We have a rich landscape and the people are prosperous and hard-working. Although there is an abundance of agricultural land across our communities, food security remains an issue. While our communities have partnered and succeeded in many areas for the purpose of providing access to food for all citizens, the fact remains - what we eat is not the right food and as a result there is an impact on the health of our citizens. Moreover, while Cambridge and North Dumfries has an abundance of agricultural land that is actively farmed, the fruit and vegetables that we eat are more likely to be grown elsewhere.
So what do we mean by food security? “Community food security exists when all community residents obtain a safe, personally acceptable, nutritious diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes health choices, community self-reliance, and equal access for everyone” (Dieticians of Canada, 2007).
KEY FINDINGS Food Access
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Meet Jack and his Mom, Kathy Kathy had been embarrassed on two previous occasions and she did not want it to happen a third time. The principal was concerned that Jack’s lunch was not nutritious. Kathy tried to explain the situation – she was unemployed since her job in a local manufacturing company had been eliminated last year, her unemployment cheque had run out and she was waiting for social assistance. And it was near the end of the month and there was very little food in the house for lunches, especially no fruits or vegetables. She had sent what she could. When the note came home from school asking each child to bring a nutritious lunch for the school track day, Kathy felt she had no option – she kept Jack home from school. This situation is very real and it happened right here in our community. Many families are in situations very similar to Kathy and Jack. They would like to provide their children with nutritious food, but it is not always possible.
6.1
Percent of Cambridge households compromise the quantity or quality of food consumed or reduce food intake due to income.
Percent of children and youth in Waterloo Region live with a reduction in the quantity or quality of food consumed due to family income; a significant increase since 2005.
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City of Cambridge Photo Gallery
KEY FINDINGS Healthy Eating
53
Average HEI score for a diet in Waterloo Region; 50 is cut-off for a poor diet.
Our Health - Diabetes
9
Percent of Waterloo Region citizens 12 and older diagnosed with diabetes; Canadian rate is 6.5% (2012).
Did You Know? Food Freedom Day Canadians mark Food Freedom Day early in February. This is the calendar date when the average Canadian has earned enough income to pay his or her individual grocery bill for the whole year. By comparison, Food Freedom Day in Mexico comes in early March (The Dirt on Farming).
WCDSB & Nutrition Standards The Waterloo Catholic District School Board nutrition standards exceed provincial directives and apply to all food and beverages that are not only sold but offered in their schools.
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Income – A Contributing Factor Income is a significant contributor to having enough to eat and eating the right food. In 2010, the overall poverty rate for census families in Waterloo Region was 15.2%; an increase of 2.5 percentage points since 2001. For children, the story is similar – 14.8% of children in our Region live in poverty; the same as 2001 (Statistics Canada). Moreover, 2581 children and youth used the Cambridge Self-help Food Bank in 2012 (Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank). “Limited food access and limited income with which to buy food leads to multiple risk factors for poor health” (Region of Waterloo Public Health, 2013).
Our Health One third (33.4%) of Waterloo Region residents consumed fewer than the daily recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables in 2012; an improvement of 1.9 percentage points from 2011 (Statistics Canada). However Garriguet (2009) considers the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) to be a more detailed measure of healthy eating than assessing frequency of vegetable and fruit intakes alone. The average score of 53.2 on the HEI indicates that the average diet of residents in Waterloo Region is much closer to the “poor” diet category than the ‘good’ diet category (50 being the cut-off for “poor” diet and above 80 being the cut-off of “good” diet). Therefore, 99 per cent of the residents in Waterloo Region consume a diet that increases the risk of developing chronic health conditions (Region of Waterloo Public Health, forthcoming). This pattern of eating has contributed to a population in Waterloo Region where 15.1 percent of those 18 and older were considered overweight or obese in 2012; a decrease of 3.6 percentage points over 2011 (Statistics Canada). Several of the most prevalent chronic diseases in Waterloo Region are related to poor diet including diabetes. In 2012, 9 percent of our population12 years and older had been diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. This is 2.5 percentage points higher than the Canadian rate and also an increase of 2.7 percentage points over 2011 (Statistics Canada).
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KEY FINDINGS Food Source
9
Percent of farms in North Dumfries and Cambridge grow fruit and vegetables.
Agriculture
32
Percent decrease in number of census farms in Cambridge between 2006 and 2011.
You Can… • • •
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Learn what’s included in Canada’s Food Guide and then implement it in your diet. Buy local; 30,237 people visited the Cambridge Farmer’s Market in 2012. Consider establishing a Community Garden at your company – a great team project for you and your fellow employees. Adopt the OSNPPH “Nutrition Standards for Workplaces©”. Grow A Row – grow an extra row of vegetables and donate the produce. Support the Community Roots Food Bank Garden at rare by volunteering in the gardens.
Our Food Source and Agriculture While Cambridge and North Dumfries has an abundance of agricultural land that is actively farmed, the fruit and vegetables that we eat are more likely to be grown elsewhere. Just 9 percent of farms in North Dumfries and Cambridge grow fruits or vegetables as their primary crop (Census of Agriculture, 2011). “A food miles study of imports of 58 commonly-eaten foods capable of being grown or raised in Waterloo Region found that imports of those foods travelled an average of over 4,500km to Waterloo Region, and generated more than their own weight in greenhouse gases due to transport emissions (Region of Waterloo Public Health, 2005).” The trend towards consolidation and adaptation in the Canadian agricultural sector continued in 2011 as the number of farms declined and many farms expanded or consolidated their operations. Locally, the number of census farms in Cambridge decreased by 32 percent in 2011 compared to 2006 (31 in 2006 to 21 in 2011). However, North Dumfries bucked the national trend with an increase of 7 farms from 117 in 2006 to 124 in 2011 (Statistics Canada, 2011). While certified organic farms increased across Canada between 2006 and 2011 by 4.4%, there are no certified organic farms in Cambridge or North Dumfries (Census of Agriculture, 2011). Barrie’s Asparagus Farm, North Dumfries
Asparagus – a source of healthy eating and grown in North Dumfries.
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Preston Towne Market
VITAL SIGNS Vital Signs is a community check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our communities, identifies significant trends, and supports action on issues that are critical to our quality of life. Vital Signs is coordinated nationally by Community Foundations of Canada.
NATIONAL FINDINGS
1.6 60 10 4
Million Canadian households faced some level of food insecurity in 2011 Percent of Canadians are overweight Percent decrease in number of farms nationally between 2006 and 2011
Community Gardens Growth in community gardens in Waterloo Region is encouraging. There are nine community gardens in Cambridge and one garden located in Ayr; across the Region there are 53 community gardens. Some of the benefits attributed to community gardens are health (enhanced diet, saving money on food, addressing physical and mental stress), inclusion and learning new skills (Region of Waterloo Public Health, Community Gardening Storytelling Project, 2013).
Neighbourhood Markets The establishment of neighbourhood markets has demonstrated the potential of small temporary farmers’ markets to increase walkable access to fruits and vegetables. One example is the Preston Towne Centre market held in Central Park. Neighbourhood markets have demonstrated that access to a market increased fruit and vegetable consumption even for those with low income. Ninety percent of customers reported that they ate more vegetables and 53 percent ate more fruit as a result of being able to access the markets. New policies in municipal Official Plans now permit these ventures in most land use designations (Region of Waterloo Public Health, 2013).
Our Community Foundation Community foundations bring together people who care about their communities. They are independent, volunteer-driven, charitable organizations that aim to strengthen their communities by facilitating philanthropy, by partnering with donors to build permanent endowments and other funds from which they support community projects, and by providing leadership on issues of broad community concern. We are pleased to provide this report on food to further discussion in our community regarding assess to food as well as what we eat and its impact on the health of our citizens.
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