Gwen Chapman to Speak on CESI-Supported Panel Promoting Food Security in Higher Education

Food insecurity is a major public health issue in Canada that impacts post-secondary students at a higher-than-average rate. Approximately 40% of post-secondary students have experienced some degree of food insecurity, with research showing that BIPOC students are especially at risk. Lack of financial access to nutritious, culturally-appropriate food adds an additional layer of worry and challenge for students experiencing food insecurity, particularly in light of the financial impacts of COVID-19. 

In response to these concerns and the potential impacts of food insecurity on students health and well-being, CESI is partnering with UBC, University of Ottawa, McMaster University, and Meal Exchange  on Promoting Food Security in Higher Education: Virtual Dialogue Panel. This event is taking place virtually on November 4th and will explore food insecurity on campus through a panel discussion and dialogues on research, lived experience, and food environments. This event is one element of ongoing collaborative efforts to address student food insecurity across Canadian campuses; since early 2019, CESI has supporrted and been involved in a range of partnered activities to meet the emergent needs of students experiencing food insecurity, gather more data on student food insecurity at the University of Guelph, and facilitate conversations around long-term solutions.  

We are especially pleased to share that Gwen Chapman, Interim Provost and VP Academic at the University of Guelph, will be one of the speakers participating on this panel. Dr. Chapman has been extremely supportive of CESI's ongoing work around student food insecurity. While Dean of the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, she co-hosted a roundtable of universities in fall of 2019 along with Carrie Chassells, Meal Exchange, and the Arrell Food Institute. She will be bringing her expertise as a food researcher and senior administrator to this panel; prior to joining the University of Guelph, she was Professor of Human Nutrition at the University of British Columbia (UBC), where she served as Director of the Food, Nutrition and Health program, and Associate Dean Academic in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems.

Find more information on Promoting Food Security in Higher Education: Virtual Dialogue Panel.