Canada has one of the safest, most effective, reliable, secure and professional food systems in the world, says War Child Canada’s Dr. Samantha Nutt.
The Canadian physician and philanthropist who founded War Child Canada has witnessed starvation and food insecurity around the world and says it’s important for Canadians to understand and appreciate the strength of this country’s food security system.
Speaking at the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity’s recent Public Trust Summit, Nutt shared her experience in war-torn environments and the impact of failed food systems on health and well-being. Throughout her career, Nutt and War Child have focused on providing assistance to war-affected women and children on the front lines in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, South Sudan and many other countries.
Nutt also emphasized the state of the current global food security crisis, noting that 50 million people are at risk of malnutrition and starvation, with 13 million in Sudan facing acute starvation.
When it comes to food security systems, Nutt emphasizes the need for transparency, consistency, and integrity and the need to build confidence in the food system. In this interview with RealAgriculture’s Bernard Tobin, she highlights the need for stakeholders to help Canadians understand the roots of rising costs of food, the impact of geopolitics, and how global conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, affect food prices and availability.
She also emphasizes the privilege of living in a food-secure country like Canada and the importance of maintaining public trust. As someone who has witnessed famine, and worked in countries where food makes people sick from diarrheal diseases, dysentery and food borne outbreaks, “it’s just the starkest reminder of how lucky we are, how privileged we are, to live in a place where this system works,” says Nutt.
See Related: Declining public trust in Canada’s food system calls for action, says CCFI
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