Urban Food Justice, Article Review Example

In the article, Miewald & McCann (2014) examine the relationship between social marginalization and food access. The authors state that “for low-income people on the Downtown Eastside, ?nding adequate shelter, healthcare, and food is often a daily struggle”. (Miewald & McCann, 2014, p. 538) The article examines the impact of living in single room occupancy hotels on the budget, poverty, socialization and food access of people. The authors do not only focus on the conditions of food access created by communities, charity organizations and services, but also on people’s experiences related to finding food on a daily basis. The concept of “foodscape” is introduced by the article, which attempts to determine “food deserts” and “foodways” in an ecological -social context.

The second quote that is interesting in the article (Miewald & McCann, 2014) is that in Canada, “while this particular program welcomes some of the most marginalized and stigmatized people on the Downtown Eastside, it also excludes others who do not appear to ?t into its de?nitions”. As the country does not have government provision for food, charitable organizations are allowed to make their own rules. The article features statements from interviews with local residents who feel that their marginalized status prevents them from getting equal opportunities to get food from charities. People seem to accept the strict and often discriminative regulations, because, as one resident states: “beggars can’t be choosers”. This statement calls for a re-examination of policies in Canada: while the government does not run social food programs, it is evident that some type of self-regulation of the organizations or government policy is needed to increase equality among those who rely on charitable donations of food.

References

Miewald, C. & McCann, E. (2014) Foodscapes and the geographies of poverty: sustenance, strategy, and politics in an urban neighborhood. Antipode Vol. 46 No. 2 2014.  pp. 537-555.