Food insecurity means the insufficient or inadequate food access because of financial problems. More than average university students are affected by the problem of household food insecurity. A recent survey on Undergraduate Experience presented data that showed that 37% of students at UBC Vancouver were affected by food insecurity ( AMS food bank, 2018 ). Another UBC Okanagan survey indicated that 42% of participants faced very low and low food security ( UBC Food System Project, 2017 ). The problem of food security is highly problematic since it affects academic performance and wellbeing. However, the issue of food insecurity is always joked about by students saying that "starving students" is a rite of passage. This problem has been escalating over the years, yet at the same time, it is increasing their risk to mental health and poor physical wellbeing. This report will show ways on how to deal with this problem at the University.
Food wastage that takes place in the processing plants needs to be accounted for to reduce waste. Arguments shared in literature point out that food waste intervention have to be part of the broader and more holistic approach. The approach means that if one has to effectively address food security, they have to address the wastage problem ( Muth et al., 2019 ). Other scholars even go further by arguing that food damage reduction fixation is not only the best solution. It is because food wastage by itself is a symptom other reasons more than the problem in itself. Thus, these scholars point out those interventions should target those underlying causes ( Morone, 2019 ).
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Intervention to solve food insecurity at the University can therefore be possible through an integrated approach that starts not at the university level. It starts from the cooperation between the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the foreign affairs ministries in dealing with post-harvest loss interventions. Their actions tailoring have to fit the national or local needs, which calls for a wide range of available policy instruments based on a careful assessment of the situation ( Ellison et al., 2019 ).
The University can work closely with Food Rescue. CA, an organization focused on improving the food rescue experience. The University can liaise with this organization to limit avoidable food waste while enabling other businesses to minimize their environmental footprint. This way, the University can have a chance to receive nutritious food to all students in need. The Food Rescue. Ca works by ensuring businesses register and outline the amount and kinds of food readily available to donate to people in need from there. Social service organizations and the University will be texted or emailed on alerts about new donations within the area ( Hecht & Neff, 2019 ).
Finding the root cause of food wastage can also ensure that university students do not face food scarcity. For example, universities should not just depend on affordable food from the supermarket but can directly get in touch with suppliers who can offer students subsidized food prices. Suppliers who can provide a direct donation to students are also an added advantage ( Kozicky, 2019 ). These retailers will not only avoid wastage of food but can be helping those starving students. They can donate slightly damaged or frozen foods that are almost before or best before date. The University will also work with other food businesses that can assist in giving students food donations. These businesses include a local restaurant, food processor, retail distribution, and farms dealing with overage crops. These strategies will help the university students to access healthy foods, which help them to improve on their academic performance and overall health and well being. Food insecurity among college students is mainly due to decreased federal aid which minimizes their buying power or from limited financial resources. Other students come from low-income families, yet they have to deal with rising tuition costs, food and housing. These strategies of food wastage and food insecurity will, therefore address the needs of these students.
References
AMS bank: e food relief for emergency service for needy students. Most donations come from several sponsors ( https://www.ms.ubc.a/student-ices/food-bank/ )
Ellison, B., Muth, M. K., & Golan, E. (2019). Opportunities and challenges in conducting economic research on food loss and waste. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy , 41 (1), 1-19.
Hecht, A. A., & Neff, R. A. (2019). Food Rescue Intervention Evaluations: A Systematic Review. Sustainability , 11 (23), 6718
Kozicky, S. (2019). Literature and Best Practices Review: Measuring Food Insecurity at the University of British Columbia (Doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia).
Morone, P., Koutinas, A., Gathergood, N., Arshadi, M., & Matharu, A. (2019). Food waste: challenges and opportunities for enhancing the emerging bio-economy. Journal of Cleaner Production , 221 , 10-16.
Muth, M. K., Birney, C., Cuéllar, A., Finn, S. M., Freeman, M., Galloway, J. N., & Meyer, E. (2019). A systems approach to assessing environmental and economic effects of food loss and waste interventions in the United States. Science of the Total Environment , 685 , 1240-1254.
UBC Food System Project (UBCFSP): involves representation from 22 community partner and academic units across campuses ( https://sustain.ubc.ca/teaching-applied-learning/seeds-sustainability-program/ubc-food-system-project )
