Food insecurity - a serious social and public health issue - persists in Inuit communities despite a spectrum of initiatives, strategies, and policies at various levels of governance and across various sectors (e.g., health, economic development, environment). While high food prices, low incomes, and unemployment are primary factors contributing to food insecurity, harvesters and country food are recognized to play an integral role in Inuit food sovereignty. In this session, we convene invited representatives, including Inuit community leaders, researchers, public health practitioners, and policymakers to share experiences, innovations, research, and ideas to confront the crisis of food insecurity and its subsequent health and social effects in northern communities. The goal is to foster dialogue, highlighting successful initiatives and discuss collective courses of action to advance programs and policies that will assist with the improvement of a coordinated response to food security for Inuit in Canada.

Tiff-Annie Kenny, Matthew Little, Malaya Bishop