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USC academic analyses healthy food access
How safe and secure is our food supply as the world prepares for increasing weather and climate change threats?
A University of the Sunshine Coast researcher has sounded a warning bell after finding that inequities already exist in Australian society, with some vulnerable people unable to access this basic necessity.
USC Lecturer in Geography Christine Slade has won an invitation to present her individual paper, from 450 submissions from around the world, at a prestigious conference at the University of Montana in June.
Ms Slade, of Carindale in Brisbane, will attend the joint conference run by the Florida-based Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society from June 9-12.
“It’s an annual conference where academics and practitioners discuss food and sustainability issues,” she said.
Ms Slade will talk about her USC doctoral research which emphasises the need for government policies and cross-sectoral partnerships to provide greater community food security.
Her case study in metropolitan Victoria found that some groups of people were more disadvantaged but state and local governments were working together on improving access to healthy food, advocating for changes to systemic and infrastructure barriers and the development of policy.
“For example, there are elderly or disabled people who can’t get their groceries, homeless people or those on low incomes who live near cheap but unhealthy takeaway food sources, Indigenous people, refugees and others from different cultures who cannot find culturally appropriate food at reasonable prices nearby,” she said.
“Food access and security is a social justice issue now for vulnerable groups in western society, but it will be an issue for all of us as our environment changes.
“Look at what happened in the Queensland floods earlier this year, when supermarket shelves were empty of bread and milk. If local food systems break down, more of us will have problems with food access.”
– Julie Gatehouse