Submission ID 131845
| Issue/Objective | Refugees in Canada face food safety challenges due to unfamiliarity with local food systems, language and cultural barriers, and limited resources. These challenges are expected to worsen by 2045 due to climate change, migration, and geopolitical instability, which may disrupt food systems and reduce trust in food safety institutions. This study examines how these drivers shape foodborne illness risk and mitigation strategies in future Canadian refugee contexts, aligned with socio-ecological and health equity concerns. |
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| Methodology/Approach | This study used a future-oriented scenario-based qualitative design to examine food safety in Canada in 2045. Two scenarios were developed using Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and Pardee Center geopolitical disruption frameworks, representing divergent climate, migration, conflict, and trust trajectories. A 'Worst Case' scenario included intensified climate impacts, instability, and declining trust, while a 'Typical Case' reflected continuation of current trends. Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with food safety and refugee resettlement experts. Participants assessed risks and mitigation strategies across scenarios. Data were analyzed thematically using inductive and deductive coding informed by Ecosocial Theory, Critical Theory, WHO "5 keys for Safer Food," and Fight BAC! practices. |
| Results | Findings indicate foodborne illness risk among refugees in Ontario in 2045 is shaped less by individual behaviors and more by structural, environmental, and social systems. Food safety was described as multi-scalar, influenced by governance, climate change, infrastructure stability, and resettlement conditions including housing, food access, and resource constraints. Communication barriers, culturally embedded practices, and varying institutional trust shape interpretation and use of food safety knowledge. Existing frameworks remain relevant but constrained by systemic conditions. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Foodborne illness risks in 2045 likely emerge from interactions across environmental, infrastructural, social, and institutional systems rather than individual behavior alone. Food safety is an emergent property of socio-ecological systems shaped by climate change, migration, infrastructure resilience, settlement conditions, communication, culture, and trust. Findings highlight limits of individual-level interventions and the need for integrated, multi-level public health approaches that strengthen system resilience, support culturally responsive strategies, and build institutional trust to improve equitable food safety under global uncertainty. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Ashvini Gulasingam University of Waterloo Shannon Majowicz University of Waterloo Vannessa Schweizer University of Waterloo Samantha Meyer University of Waterloo Irene Lambraki Public Health Agency of Canada |
