HEALTHY FOOD A RIGHT

Food is the fuel that sustains human life, and with your nickel only going so far, one wonders how much rising prices affect our health as more and more people cannot afford healthy nutrition.

I am a young adult and I don’t have a grudge against any political party. Rather, my perspective is that of a university student who has come to observe just how expensive — and well, in many cases, completely unaffordable — it is to provide healthy food for the vast majority of households. Also, why do grocery stores offer so much healthy produce that simply will not sell due to its high price, only to be forced to throw it out later? The United Nations reports that one-third of all our food is wasted!

OK, so maybe I do have an issue with the government in terms of how the economy is structured around food. Shouldn’t there be some financial support for people to help them afford such necessities? Should food be provided as a right?

Food fuels our bodies and helps us contribute to society through a strong work ethic; it also determines the quality of care we can put into our family. Without healthy, affordable food available, we cannot maintain our own health, let alone support our family. This should not be such a costly, uphill struggle!

With a basic monthly family food grant, working families could better afford other necessities like shelter, heat, water, electricity, clothes, and/or transportation. This would be a big help to many families who struggle here in my community and all across Canada.

Families with young children must also buy school supplies, lunch, shoes and warm outside gear or sports gear. (We are not talking here about tennis lessons or new super-expensive sneakers.) Nowadays, providing these things can mean cutting back on basic, healthy food. This should not be necessary in a country as rich as Canada!

And what about future generations? Isn’t it right to provide them with the nutritious foundation that helps them develop into healthy, contributing members of society?

My intent is not to attack the government; it is to express my concern about the attainability of healthy food. I hope you will raise awareness and support the change I want to inspire, so that someday soon nutritious food will be a right, not a privilege.

I hope this issue receives some government recognition because this article is aimed as well at those government members who can influence and bring about change.

I once read on a reusable Sobeys bag: “Good food is not a luxury; it’s a right.” If this is true, and not just an advertising slogan, we need big changes in how we offer food for families.

Taylor Anthony, Georges River, Cape Breton