“Youth are on the front lines to build the food systems of the future, while also bearing significant risks from climate change, social and economic inequities, and political marginalization.” – Martin Cole
The HLPE (High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition) Report #16 has been published and is available online now. It was led by CSFS Associate and former Academic Director Hannah Wittman. This publication is about promoting youth engagement and employment in agriculture and food systems.
Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:
Taking on Food Insecurity with Our School Food Systems
Canada is one of the only industrialized countries in the world without a national school food program. In Canada, over two thirds of children don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, and health concerns such as diabetes are at all time highs, especially in BIPOC communities. Join Samantha Gambling, BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food, Claudia Paez, Farm to Cafeteria Canada, and Ian Marcuse, Our Place Food Strategy, as they discuss how our school food systems may be an avenue to address food insecurity and how to tackle the widespread inequity communities of colour experience in regards to food insecurity. Let’s discover solutions to make our school food systems stronger and to nourish the next generation.
About the Presenters
Samantha Gambling – BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food
Samantha Gambling is a senior programs advisor for the Public Health Association of BC. She currently coordinates the BC Chapter of the Coalition for Healthy School Food to advocate for public investment in a universal, cost-shared, healthy school food program that meets the diverse needs of BC students. She is a graduate of the sustainable agriculture practicum at UBC Farm, and an MSc. alumna from University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems where she studied agricultural policy and food sovereignty.
Claudia Paez – Farm to Cafeteria Canada
Claudia Paez has a MSc. in Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems (UBC), a Bachelor in Social Communication, and a Diploma in Film Production. She is originally from Chile, and her love for healthy gardens and healthy food is in her cultural DNA from her matrilineal side. Her participation as a graduate student and research assistant in several research projects regarding food security, gender participation, food systems and food sovereignty in Indigenous, national and international context have provided her with the invaluable opportunity to gain an overview on the issues that the systems currently confront. Between 2016 and 2017, Claudia co-leaded a community-research project about food affordability and accessibility and organic food on campus. Claudia strongly believes that only healthy and culturally meaningful food can feed both our body and soul. Claudia is now the regional lead for British Columbia at Farm to Cafeteria Canada.
Ian Marcuse – Our Place Vancouver
Ian Marcuse is currently the Community Food Developer at Our Place Food Strategy Vancouver. Ian is also a coordinator with the Vancouver Neighbourhood Food Networks and was previously the Community Food Security Coordinator for the Grandview Woodland Food Connection at Britannia. Ian has been working in Vancouver for over a decade fighting for food security, fighting against inequality and empowering youth to be environmental leaders.
Ashiana Sunderji – Fresh Roots
Ashiana Sunderji is a rising sophomore studying neuroscience, physiology and human geography at the University of Toronto. She has experience in teaching diverse groups of youth in many different capacities such as in hydrotherapy, swimming, competitive dance, anti-bullying and most prominently through Fresh Roots; farming, food systems and sustainability. Ashiana’s TED-Ed talk about finding identity through community service has been published on TED-Ed’s youtube channel, and she has also been published on the internationally renowned TED-Ed blog. She has led the marketing team of a creative collective that strives to uplift underrepresented artists.
Raihan Hassen
Raihan Hassen is a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition student and a dietitian who is pursuing research around Vancouver school meal programs under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Black. Raihan is a Registered Dietitian having completed her Bachelor’s degree from UBC in the Food, Nutrition and Health Program with a major in Dietetics. She is curious about exploring the complex intersections between food security, school meal programs, and nutrition.
Raihan Hassen
Raihan Hassen is a Master’s of Science in Human Nutrition student and a dietitian who is pursuing research around Vancouver school meal programs under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Black. Raihan is a Registered Dietitian having completed her Bachelor’s degree from UBC in the Food, Nutrition and Health Program with a major in Dietetics. She is curious about exploring the complex intersections between food security, school meal programs, and nutrition.
Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:
Order Up: How Restaurants Adapted to the Pandemic
As everyone stayed home, no one was dining out. It is fair to say that the restaurant industry was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and all its consequences. As revenue plummeted and businesses tried to stay afloat, restaurants and suppliers put their thinking hats on and showed a capability to adapt like never before. Join Shira Blustein, Chef Robert Clark and Justin Tisdall as they speak about their experiences in the restaurant industry from the past year, the challenges and the successes, and what the pandemic has changed about their businesses forever. This panel will focus on the incredibly fast-paced and equally impressive pivoting that these businesses had to perform and the struggles they had to contend with, all while maintaining operations that focus on sustainability and authenticity.
About the Presenters
Shira Blustein
Shira Blustein was playing music in punk and indie rock bands that toured extensively through Europe and North America before becoming a restaurateur. Those years spent travelling as a vegetarian were both enlightening and frustrating. On a good day, she would find an amazing dish from a street vendor that involved the freshest local produce, created with love. More often than not, however, she would find herself stuck between a brick of tofu and a hard place. It became Shira’s mission to create a vegetable forward dining experience where creativity reigned, and the uniqueness of ingredients were openly explored and celebrated. Shira and her team have been dedicated to establishing meaningful connections with local farms, foragers and wineries, showcasing the amazing terroir driven food and wine BC has to offer.
Since opening in 2012, The Acorn has picked up national awards for excellence, has been featured in the New York Times, Bon Appetit, and was deemed one of the best vegetable-forward destinations in the world by CNN and The Daily Meal, earning the Number 1 spot for best vegan restaurant in the world by Big Seven Travel. In 2016 Blustein opened The Arbor, a casual sequel to Acorn, with the same uncompromising attention being paid to quality, detail and plant-based deliciousness.
Robert Clark
Chef Robert Clark is a world-renowned chef, cookbook author, and ocean-friendly seafood advocate. Clark is the chief culinary officer of Organic Ocean Seafood. Organic Ocean Seafood is a seafood supplier located in British Columbia, supplying world-class chefs around the world. In April 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, Organic Ocean Seafood started their “Organic Ocean at Home” program so they could deliver seafood to homes in and around the Greater Vancouver Area – they now supply all provinces west of Quebec. Organic Ocean was created to foster a sustainable, vibrant, healthy seafood industry, in which fishermen would be fairly rewarded for their investment, effort, and personal risk.
In the past, Robert Clark has been the executive chef at C Restaurant, Raincity Grill, and Nu in Vancouver. More recently, he’s been the proprietor of the Fish Counter on Main Street. He’s also a cofounder of Vancouver’s Spot Prawn Festival and became a member of the Order of Canada in November 2020. Clark is a cofounder of Ocean Wise and was honoured as a 2011 SeaWeb Sustainable Seafood Champion for supporting the consumption of ocean-friendly seafood. He’s pleased to be working with Indigenous fisheries partners of Organic Ocean. He identifies as a challenger of the status quo and an advocate of authentic living, sustainable seafood and transparency in our food system.
Justin Tisdall
Justin Tisdall is the co-owner and operator of Juke Fried Chicken and Beetbox. Justin is also a council member of 10×10 Philanthropy, and was previously the beverage and restaurant manager for Shangri-la Hotel Vancouver. Tisdall has made a name for himself by remaining consistently ahead of the curve. He got in on the ground floor of the casual comfort food and high-quality-takeout trend with the beginning of Juke, and has adapted to the growing demand for vegan and vegetarian options with the launch of Beetbox. He began his career almost 20 years ago as a bartender to subsidize his competitive swimming on Canada’s national team, and he has approached each restaurant position since with that same competitive spirit. Juke and Beetbox both represent Justin’s unique approach and culture of questioning the status quo.
Darren Clay
Darren Clay’s passion for culinary arts began at an early age. Every morning a loaf of unsliced bologna and unsliced bread was left out for him to saw through and create his own haphazardly shaped meat and mustard sandwich. Fast forward a number of years where he apprenticed with Fairmont Hotels in Vancouver, various establishments in Singapore with Raffles Hotel Group and learned efficiency and systems with Cactus Club Cafe. Darren settled into a role as Executive Culinary Chef at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island. / Wanting to give back to the industry, Darren sits on various ITA advisory committees, was a part of the Joy of Feeding steering committee which raised awareness and funds for the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm. It was here that he was enlightened with the progressive initiatives happening at UBC and joined the team to help make a difference in the future of food. / Darren is currently with UBC Food Services and working on various initiatives to bring local, sustainable and healthy options to students and staff. He is also the President of the Chef’s Table Society of BC. He can’t remember the last bologna sandwich he ate.
Darren Clay
Darren Clay’s passion for culinary arts began at an early age. Every morning a loaf of unsliced bologna and unsliced bread was left out for him to saw through and create his own haphazardly shaped meat and mustard sandwich. Fast forward a number of years where he apprenticed with Fairmont Hotels in Vancouver, various establishments in Singapore with Raffles Hotel Group and learned efficiency and systems with Cactus Club Cafe. Darren settled into a role as Executive Culinary Chef at Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Granville Island. / Wanting to give back to the industry, Darren sits on various ITA advisory committees, was a part of the Joy of Feeding steering committee which raised awareness and funds for the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm. It was here that he was enlightened with the progressive initiatives happening at UBC and joined the team to help make a difference in the future of food. / Darren is currently with UBC Food Services and working on various initiatives to bring local, sustainable and healthy options to students and staff. He is also the President of the Chef’s Table Society of BC. He can’t remember the last bologna sandwich he ate.
“If you experience a power outage, your fridge and freezer doors should be opened as seldom as possible so as to preserve the cool temperatures inside.” – Dr. Siyun Wang
Dr. Siyun Wang, CSFS Associate and Professor at UBC’s Faculty of Land and Food Systems, shared some recommendations for how to keep your perishables safe during a heat wave. Both food and medications can spoil with extreme temperatures, thus it is important to keep these safe and to recognize when spoilage has occurred.
Farm to Globe: Transforming Our Food Systems presents:
Canada’s Role in Local and Global Food Systems
Tune in for the first episode of our summer webinar series! The past year has made it clear that our food systems need fixing. This introductory episode will examine Canada’s place in the global food system and the importance of our local food systems. Join us as we set the stage for a summer of webinars exploring innovative solutions that will change our food systems forever and for the better. Our panelists Ione Smith, Upland Agricultural Consulting, and Rickey Yada, Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at UBC, will offer global and local perspectives on what we have learned from the pandemic and what we need to do moving forward.
About the Presenters
Ione Smith
Ione Smith is passionate about working to find solutions to challenging food system problems. She is a Professional Agrologist with a background in community engagement, agricultural planning, and land resource science. Ione brings over 16 years of extensive experience in developing recommendations and policies that will improve farm viability and food production through strategic stakeholder engagement processes. Ione has built a career on developing innovative agriculture and food security plans for local governments, agricultural climate change adaptation and mitigation research for government and non-government agencies, and business plans for individual farmers. She has worked with Indigenous communities, governments of all levels, and non-governmental organizations to craft actionable recommendations and implement key business strategies to improve and develop opportunities for agriculture and food security. Ione is a Qualified BC Farm Business Advisor as conferred by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP): a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. In addition to her consulting work, Ione currently serves as Vice Chair (South Coast) of the Provincial Agricultural Land Commission. Other previous positions include volunteering as a steering committee member of the BC Food Systems Network, an organization that works to create healthy, just, and sustainable food systems and serving as a board member of Community Futures Sunshine Coast, an organization committed to growing local businesses.
Rickey Yada
Professor Rickey Yada was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. in 2014. Prior to UBC, Dr. Yada was at the University of Guelph where he held numerous leadership roles, including Assistant Vice President Research, Canada Research Chair in Food Protein Structure, Scientific Director of the Advanced Foods and Materials Network (Networks of Centres of Excellence), and Founding Member of the Food Institute. He is, currently, the North American Editor of Trends in Food Science and Technology as well as serving on the editorial board of several journals. His areas of research includes: the structure – function relationships of enzymes (aspartic proteases) and carbohydrate biochemistry as related to nutrition and food quality. / Dr. Yada serves in a leadership capacity to several research and industry organizations, some of which include Chair of the Board of Trustees, International Life Science Institute – North America; Board of Bioenterprise Inc.; Advisory Committee Member – Arrell Food Institute and Seeding Food Innovation Grant Program (George Weston Loblaws); Member of the Scientific Advisory Panel – Riddet Institute (New Zealand); and a Member of the Advisory Panel – AgResearch (New Zealand). He is also a Past President and Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the International Academy of the International Union of Food Science and Technology, and is also a fellow of the Institute of Food Technologists. Dr. Yada has an honorary DSc from the University of Guelph and was the 2019 Harraways 1867 Visiting Professor, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Clare Cullen – Moderator
Clare Cullen took the helm as Operations Director at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems in March, 2015. She plays a key leadership role in the Centre’s daily operations, business development, and financial and human resources management. Clare holds a B.A. honours in Film and Communication from Queens University and an M.Ed in Art and Environment from Simon Fraser University. Prior to joining CSFS, Clare worked with UBC’s Beaty Biodiversity Museum as the Administrative Manager. With a rich background in arts, environmental education, finance, entrepreneurship and non-profit organizations, Clare has a diversity of skills and a wealth of experience.
Salad will survive climate change. But at what cost?
News Source: Grist
June 16, 2021
“Even as fewer people in the world go hungry, nutrient deficiencies remain high.” – Dr. Navin Ramankutty
Dr. Navin Ramankutty, a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, commented on the importance of finding a balance between nutritive value and widespread access. He mentioned that even as fewer people in the world go hungry, nutrient deficiencies remain high and the best remedy is to feed people more fresh fruits and vegetables.
“This is like a drug discovery process. We collect phages, bring them into the lab and run trials on animals, crops and food products to test how effective they are.” – Dr. Siyun Wang
Dr. Siyun Wang, CSFS Associate and Professor of Food Safety, is investigating the applications of bacteriophages in UBC’s Food Safety Laboratory. Screening assays and genome sequencing are some of the laboratory techniques employed to study the behavior of each phage. One goal of this research is to determine how they work together as an effective ‘cocktail’ for eliminating food-borne pathogens.
“Formed in 2011, CSFS’s main research and learning space is the UBC Farm, which began as a student-led initiative that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The UBC Farm and
the CSFS have both grown over the decades, with the UBC Farm deemed ‘green academic’ by the university, establishing it as a place of experiential learning for students, researchers, and the neighbouring community.” – Cindy Cheung
Planning West features the CSFS and UBC Farm as we celebrate our anniversary! More info can be found on page 5 of the below link.
The CSFS Future of Food Global Dialogue Series presents:
CSFS Associate Seminars
Regulated Deficit Irrigation Strategies for Saving Irrigation Water in Vineyards
About this Seminar
Water management in vineyards is arguably one of the major issues that the wine industry is facing. Climate change is forecasted to make precipitations more erratic and to increase temperatures in many wine regions, making drought events more frequent in vineyards. Growers can apply regulated deficit irrigation strategies, consisting on providing sub-optimal irrigation levels to the vines, to save irrigation water and improve wine quality. Indeed, water deficit induces the accumulation of grape pigments and aromas, improving the quality of the derived wines. The development of deficit irrigation strategies may result in improved wine quality and more sustainable wine productions in British Columbia and worldwide.
About the Presenter
Dr. Castellarin investigates the ripening processes in grapes and blueberries and the biological mechanisms that determine grape and blueberry quality. Moreover, he studies how berry quality is affected by environmental factors (temperature and water). Dr. Castellarin is developing agronomical strategies (irrigation, crop management, hormone applications) to improve ripening and the accumulation of pigments and aromas in grapes and blueberries.
Beneficial microbes protect plants from pathogen attacks
News Source: UBC Microbiology
May 10, 2021
“Plants are a much more tractable system. We can make genetic and mechanistic advances very quickly and affordably compared to mice, which are more cost and labour intensive. We hope that this work will inform how animals, including humans, recruit beneficial microbes when we sense a pathogen. When it comes to the interface of immunity, the microbiome, and pathogens, we hope plants can be a model for many organisms.” – Dr. Cara Haney
Dr. Cara Haney, CSFS associate and professor in UBC’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology, conducted research on how plants can recruit beneficial bacteria (i.e. their microbiome) to protect against pathogens. This is part of a phenomenon known as “disease suppressive soils”, and is a promising agricultural method to prevent pathogen damage to plants.
