NEWSLETTER #3
FOOD POLICY LAB | JUly 2021
MESSAGE FROM THE PI
What is policy at the Food Policy Lab?
In introductory lectures at Dalhousie, I usually start with a classic definition from Lasswell (1936, on politics, as who gets what, when, how), followed by Dye (1984, whatever governments choose to do or not do), then Stone (2008, should government help your neighbour?)
I mention health promotion pioneer Nancy Milio next. Her work on healthy public policy explained how policy levers are central to promoting health. Her still-fresh 1987 paper on policy for health spoke to how policy determines the distribution of resources in a society. Policy establishes the structural context for the actions of both corporations and consumers. Policy can create better health, and poorer health too.
Federalism is policy that shapes our health.
The Chinese Immigration Act, 1923, now often referred to as the Chinese Exclusion Act, was racist policy that shaped the health of my family members and our health.
Residential schools were Canadian, colonial, racist policies that shaped our health, and shape it still.
Policy got us here. And changing policy that is ultimately the product of us is hard.
Still, at the lab, we often talk about policy solutions that we need to improve our individual and collective health, prevent death and illness, and eliminate disparities.
In our systems of government and governance, we also need policies to change our institutions for the better.
But how?
Well, by using the best definition of policy I know, one I learned at end of my first term teaching at Dalhousie. On the last day of Health Promotion Policy in Winter 2018, I asked class members to leave sticky-note feedback to share their end-of-term reflections. In response to, ‘One thing you learned that you told a friend about,’ one student left this anonymous note:
We can be involved in policy change even if we feel powerless.
This month, we mourn for those lives cut short by policy.
And we work harder to use policy, and policy research, to change power dynamics and build a healthier and more just Canada for the future.
—
In our Researcher Spotlight, we speak to our resident political scientist, Masters student Noel Guscott. Noel presented his research for the lab on the multijurisdictional regulatory environment for food retail at the 5th International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP5). He also presents a brief overview of the work in this month’s Deep Dive. The ICPP5 was Noel’s first academic conference talk, and he dove deep into the murky waters of retail food environment federalism. Send him a virtual round of applause!
Laura shares her thoughts in the Project Spotlight on why hospitals need to think about consumer behaviour in their policies, through a look at food and beverage merchandising in Nova Scotia health care.
Gabriella and Maria are back with our second conversation starter Infographic, this time to look at regional variation in dietary intake of fruits in Canada. Take it with you and your bubble-mates on a trip to the Valley for full effect!
Finally in our Recipe, Laura shares her take on a Nova Scotia classic: oatcakes. Naturally—for inspiration, of course—we’d also recommend you seek out the bakery version that is our local lab favourite (much policy research has been conducted over the incredible Tart and Soul oatcake).
Do policy, for better policy, see you next month,
-Cathy
RESEARCHER SPOTLIGHT: Noel Guscott
Noel is an MA student in Political Science at Dalhousie. He holds a SSHRC CGS Masters Award, and is a member of the Food Policy Lab. He is an aspiring political and public policy scholar with research interests covering political theory, Canadian federalism and intergovernmentalism, health care federalism, and health care policy formulation. Noel served as a communications operator in the Canadian Armed Forces which inspired his Master’s thesis on the military healthcare system. In this spotlight, we chat about all things healthcare federalism, why Canada needs a universal healthcare system, how to write op-eds, Grocery Gateways, and where Noel loves to eat in Halifax!
-Maria
What are your thoughts on Canada’s approach to healthcare system governance?
It’s funny, this is the broadest question, but I think it will be my shortest answer. It’s messy, and that’s mainly to do with when this settler-colonial country was founded, ideas and discourse, governance, and treatment of health were entirely different. We are operating in a constitutional framework of decentralized health care designed for the 19th and 20th centuries, in the 21st century. As a result, you are seeing lines of accountability being blurred because no one jurisdiction can manage this problem by themselves. The feds have the money, the provinces have the responsibility and they sometimes work together but sometimes they don’t. I think there have been some victories especially with the introduction of Tommy Douglas’s Medicare in Saskatchewan back in the 1950s which paved the way for what we have today, but it’s not perfect and there is room for improvement.
If Canada had universal healthcare, what would that look like?
I am biased on this topic, but I think Canada would be a much better place. Growing up in a low-income environment, there were so many barriers in place to receiving complex health coverage. For example, I didn’t see a dentist until I was 21. I am in a different place now and recognize my privilege, but I can’t imagine how challenging it would be for others living in this system and the barriers they might face. Blatant systemic racism still exists in the system. I think in the long term, it would be 100% beneficial for Canada to adopt a universal healthcare model. Healthcare is not just hospitals, it is medication, it is mental health, it is dental and other tertiary services. There are many facets to a healthy population.
deep dive: Grocery gateways policy scan
The Grocery Gateways (2019-2022) project is graciously funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). We are investigating how public policy tools can support and grow the business potential for healthy retailing in Atlantic Canada. This project is a large observational study on the store food regulatory environment focusing on the Atlantic Canadian provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. The selection of Atlantic Canadian provincial jurisdictions is important to population health, as this region has long reported among the greatest burden of diet-related diseases and food insecurity in Canada.
This project is led by Dr. Catherine Mah (Principal Investigator) with contributions from Emily Jago (Research Manager), Mary Myketyn Driscroll (Graduate Trainee), and Noel Guscott (Graduate Research Assistant). It consists of a few pieces, some of which have had to be adjusted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, to best understand how public policy can support the business potential for health retailing, we needed to know what the current regulatory environment looked like! So we conducted a policy scan, which is a qualitative research method used to gather and aggregate policies in a specific area of interest. We catalogued food policy documents which identified policy tools that impacted retail food stores. And second, we have also conducted virtual (rather than in-person) interviews with public servants whose work is relevant to food policy at the federal, provincial, and municipal orders of government. We wanted to learn about their involvement in the food policy system, how policies are perceived to impact food retail enterprises, and what policy or other opportunities might be available for retail innovation in the food system. Taken together, this picture of the current regulatory environment will allow us to develop policy-oriented solutions that can make healthy retailing an even more viable and sustainable business direction in Atlantic Canada.
-Noel
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: FOOD and beverage Merchandising and policy
In one word, how would you describe your most recent experience eating at a hospital cafeteria? While I worked as a nurse at the Halifax Infirmary, the hospital cafeteria meant a hot cup of coffee and an escape from call bells and IV meds; but as a PhD Health student, I now see the potential of these spaces to promote health amongst staff, visitors and employees.
I am partnering on a research project with Nova Scotia Health Nutrition and Food Services—the team working behind the scenes to operate the hospital retail environments, as well as the many other ways in which health care centres oversee, provide, and sell food. In 2018, Nova Scotia Health adopted a pioneering provincewide Healthy Eating Policy, and in 2019 implemented a retail intervention at four retail outlets: two cafes and two cafeterias. This intervention altered the price, promotion, product and placement (sometimes referred to in retail merchandising as the 4Ps) of select snack items, to promote greater purchasing of healthier options. For example, bananas were reduced in price and promoted with banners and other promotions. From past food environment evidence, we would anticipate seeing alterations in purchasing patterns as a result of alterations to retail merchandising, often due to price changes (depending on the food item), but that these patterns might be modified by other food environment factors such as placement and promotion.
Our lab is currently working together with Nova Scotia Health to analyze its sales data to improve our understanding of how hospital retailing policies and food environment policies can shape health. Purchasing can be used as proxy measure of diet: increasing our understanding of what people buy, helps us understand what we eat, how and why.
We’ll keep you updated on this retail environment. In the meantime, the next time you visit a health services building, be sure to check out the cafeteria, café, or vending machine close by. Let us know what you think of the merchandising! Is it health-promoting?
-Laura
INFOGRAPHIC
This is the second in a series of conversation-starter infographics we will release in conjunction with the newsletter. This set looks at regional variation in Canadians’ diets regarding fruit intake.
Our first infographic did the same but looked at vegetable intake.
Using the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey-Nutrition (CCHS-N) in conjunction with Canada’s Food Guide, listed below are some potential starting questions to ask yourself and peers:
What could the similarities in fruit intakes across provinces suggest about Canadian food environments?
Do the top sources correlate with your grocery list?
-Gabriella and Maria
To save this infographic, first click on it - this will take you to a new webpage. Then right click on the graphic and choose “Save image as..” Select your desired location on your computer and save!
what’s cooking at FPL: Sweet and salty Nova scotia oatcakes
The perfect on-the-go breakfast or dessert! Oatcakes are one of my favourite snacks. They are great study, hiking or driving snacks – really anytime is a good time for an oatcake. I would highly recommended dipping in chocolate. Decide whether you like your oatcakes chewy or crispy – or maybe both.
-Original recipe by Molly Watson, tweaked by Laura
Recipe
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup shortening, or unsalted butter
1/4 cup boiling water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In large bowl combine oats, flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add the shortening or butter and use 2 knives/fork/or fingers to work into dry ingredients.
Pour in hot water and stir until everything becomes thick and sticky.
Roll the dough on a well-floured surface and cut into shapes (I use circles) and place on large baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown – about 12 minutes. If you would like crispier oatcakes you can continue baking for 10 minutes @ 325 F.
Let the oatcakes cool (*this is the hardest part of the recipe).
If dipping in chocolate, melt ½ cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips in bowl. Dip half of oatcake in chocolate and place on wax paper to set.
Serve and enjoy!
Congratulations to…
Mary Myketyn-Driscoll on her new position as a Health Promoter with Mental Health and Addictions Central Zone at Nova Scotia Health
