What is the Food Strategy?
The McMaster Food Strategy is in an early planning and consultation stage, but we are thrilled to let you know that it is in the works!
The McMaster Food Strategy was initiated by the McMaster Campus Food Council, with support from McMaster’s Student Wellness Centre and Hospitality Services. The Strategy is supported and endorsed by the McMaster Okanagan Committee. Progress on the strategy is regularly reported to the McMaster Campus Food Council, which provides advice and feedback.
The purpose of the Strategy is to engage in a process of understanding the current state and needs of the McMaster community, when it comes to food. We intend for the Strategy to guide future action toward food sovereignty on campus. We are investigating food literacy, food sovereignty, food security, food accessibility, food safety, and the systems of food production, distribution, and consumption, among other factors.
“Food Sovereignty is the right of peoples to healthy and culturally appropriate food produced through ecologically sound and sustainable methods, and their right to define their own food and agriculture systems.”
-La Via Campesina
We are using this working definition as an important and helpful base for the development of the Strategy. However, as we consult the community and create the Food Strategy, we hope to interrogate and refine the definition in the context of McMaster’s specific realities and needs.
Promoting food sovereignty helps to create a supportive campus culture and helps to ensure that members of our community have the resources to improve and expand upon their wellbeing (in addition to coping moment-to-moment).
This summer (2022), we are beginning to seek input on the current McMaster food systems through a series of focus groups. We also aim to conduct virtual consultation sessions with individuals from a broad range of campus departments, services, clubs, and groups doing food-related work.
During 2023, we hope to produce a McMaster Food Strategy report, with a summary of our findings and suggestions for food-related processes on campus going forward.
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Indigenous Land & Food
Please join us in acknowledging and reflecting upon the land that we are on and that our food comes from.
The food we buy and consume is sourced from Indigenous lands worldwide. When we buy, acquire, grow, prepare, consume, or share food on McMaster’s campus, we are engaging with food on the traditional territories of the Mississauga and Haudenosaunee nations. These lands are protected by the Dish With One Spoon wampum agreement, which encourages everyone living on the lands to share and collectively maintain them and their resources, including food and water systems. Some tenets of the agreement include leaving enough resources for others and protecting the vitality and health of the land itself. These traditional territories on which McMaster resides have been co-opted and occupied by settlers, and the Dish With One Spoon covenant frequently fails to be honoured.
Through the Strategy we hope to encourage reflection upon individuals’ personal access to food and other essential goods: food sourced directly from the land, food we buy at the grocery store, food we order online, etc..
McMaster’s Indigenous Circle
The McMaster Museum of Art’s Campus Architecture Tour describes the space as follows: “On the edge of the circle, you will find symbols of three Haudenosaunee wampum agreements: The Dish With One Spoon, asking people to share the resources of the land and only take what they need; the Two Row, an icon of Indigenous and settler cultures living and growing together side by side, and the Friendship between the Haudenosaunee and the settler Europeans. Plantings in the space were sourced from Six Nations of the Grand River. The area demonstrates the role nature and outdoor spaces play in teaching and learning and signifies the importance of Indigenous knowledge to the growth of the McMaster community.” The three carvings were created by Woodland Memorial in Burlington.
The circle is known as Karahakon Kateweienstha (Learning in the Forest) in Mohawk and Nibwaajkaawin Teg (Place of Wisdom) in Ojibway.
Note
The food strategy team is committed to decolonizing its research approach and to highly valuing the perspectives of Indigenous communities and individuals at McMaster. This section of our webpage will be continually updated as our team learns more and as further food- or water-related issues come to light.
Information about the Dish with One Spoon wampum agreement
Current Resources
Although we hope to expand this list of resources as we develop the Food Strategy, here are some of the on-campus resources for you to access if you are experiencing food insecurity, interested in getting involved with current food initiatives, or interested in learning more about food and its many impacts.
Information Box Group
McMaster Community Fridge McMaster Community Fridge Instagram
McMaster Community Fridge is an outdoor food resource accessible to the public 24/7. It includes a freezer, fridge, and pantry. It can be found in front of Mills Library, facing Parking Lot B. Its motto is “take what you need, leave what you can.” A full donation guide is viewable on the McMaster Community Fridge Instagram profile. A representative from the fridge’s volunteer coordinator team is helping to advise on the Food Strategy’s development.
MSU Food Collective Centre Summary of FCC Programs
The Food Collective Centre (FCC) is a student-run, on-campus food bank and food security resource. They offer a confidential food support program called Lockers of Love, a fresh produce program called Good Food Box, and a cooking workshop program called Community Kitchen Cook-Alongs. The FCC also does advocacy and education work surrounding food access and food security. An executive from the FCC is helping to advise on the Food Strategy’s development.
OPIRG-McMaster Community Garden Mission Statement and More Information
The OPIRG-McMaster Community Garden is located within the previous McMaster Teaching and Learning Community Garden beside GSB. They are committed to reducing barriers to access of healthy food for members of the McMaster community and to providing a space for enjoying the therapeutic benefits of gardening. A representative from the OPIRG-McMaster Community Garden team is helping to advise on the Food Strategy’s development.
Student Wellness Centre SWC Food and Nutrition Resources
The Student Wellness Centre (SWC) offers a wide range of student services and resources to McMaster students, including food and nutrition support. They offer regular cooking classes and workshops, and extensive nutrition information and tips can be found on their webpage. The SWC is one of the key partners putting together the Food Strategy, alongside the McMaster Okanagan Committee.
Hospitality Services Information about Nutrition and Dietary Restrictions
McMaster Hospitality Services is committed to making food accessible to students, staff, and visitors on campus. They offer meal plans, operate restaurants and cafeterias on campus, and offer resources related to allergies, dietary restrictions, and nutrition generally. Hospitality Services is one of the key partners putting together the Food Strategy, alongside the McMaster Okanagan Committee.
McMaster Sustainability Strategy View the Sustainability Strategy Report
McMaster recently released its first university-wide Sustainability Strategy, which was developed based on community input. The McMaster Food Strategy is partly inspired by the priorities expressed in the Sustainability Strategy. Food and food sovereignty are relevant to several of the key drivers identified by the Sustainability Strategy. The plan provides strategic direction related to sustainability through 2026 and beyond.