Cultural Dimensions of Food Insecurity among Immigrants and Refugees

Household food insecurity is experienced by many immigrants and refugees. Though culture strongly influences food and eating, little is known about the interaction between culture and immigrant food insecurity. Following Power’s (2008) concept of “cultural food security,” we investigate three pillars of food security (food availability, access, and use) for immigrants and refugees living in a medium-sized city in Canada. Multiple perspectives on the challenges of obtaining and eating nutritious and culturally satisfying food were gathered through interviews with service providers and immigrants. Many immigrant participants identified issues that service providers did not, including a lack of availability of high quality, fresh, less processed, and chemical-free foods. Immigrant participants also expressed forms of food nostalgia. All participants identified low income and high food prices as barriers to accessing desired food. Also significant is the fact that immigrant participants experience difficulties when shopping, identifying, and using new foods, such as canned items. These findings are integral to satisfying each of the three pillars of food security for immigrants and refugees. We make recommendations at both the level of community programming and policy to increase food security among immigrants.