This report highlights the challenges faced by foreign students in accessing adequate nutrition abroad, especially the limited access to ethnic foods that can provide comfort and familiarity.
This report highlights the challenges faced by foreign students in accessing adequate nutrition abroad, especially the limited access to ethnic foods that can provide comfort and familiarity.
The 2021 report by Meal Exchange found that 74.5 percent of international students experience food insecurity, compared to 15.4 percent of domestic students.
This report highlights the challenges faced by foreign students in accessing adequate nutrition abroad, especially the limited access to ethnic foods that can provide comfort and familiarity.
The study indicates that dietary changes to adapt to a new country may result in weakened immunity and impaired mental health.
At the University of Guelph, international students constitute 77 percent of food bank users, predominantly graduate students. This is notable considering they represent only 5.6 percent and 24 percent of undergraduate and graduate populations, respectively.
Guelph, the 12th most-expensive city in Canada for a one-bedroom apartment with an average cost of $1,964 as of March, poses a financial challenge for international graduate students who often have families and dependents, according to Sam Laban, a facilitator at The Guelph Lab.
The university’s food selection previously leaned towards North American cuisine, neglecting the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. “We’re trying to make sure everybody is being served,” Laban said.
A survey conducted at Conestoga College indicated that 96.5 percent of those experiencing food insecurity were international students.
According to Statistics Canada, immigrants are more likely to suffer from food insecurity than non-immigrants. In 2019, 15.4 percent of recent immigrants were either moderately or severely food insecure, a statistic that has remained largely unchanged despite the pandemic. While immigrants constitute 21 percent of the Canadian population, they account for 26 percent of the food-insecure population.
Another study among international students at a university in West Texas reported that 32 percent suffered from food insecurity with 73 percent reporting moderate stress levels with 12 percent high stress. Students who had migrated within the last year were twice as likely to be food insecure (43 percent) compared to those in the country for over a year (22 percent). The study also identified a positive correlation between food insecurity and stress levels.
The PROOF research program recommends evidence-based policy initiatives to mitigate household food insecurity in Canada such as raising social assistance incomes and indexing them to inflation, increasing minimum wages, establishing a basic income program, and reducing taxes for low-income households. These strategies aim to tackle the root cause of food insecurity by strengthening social safety nets for those with insufficient or unstable incomes.
