Maple Leaf Foods and the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security have announced the recipients of the 2021/2022 Scholarships in Food Insecurity.
Doctoral candidate Suvadra Datta Gupta from the University of Saskatchewan; Doctoral candidate Samantha Stewart from Ryerson University; and Master’s candidate Vanessa Cunningham from the University of Guelph will each receive a $15,000 scholarship to support their research. Gupta will explore potential funding models and policies for a national school food program in Canada, as well as parent and decision-maker perceptions of school food programs. Stewart will determine how public discourses on food security policy have changed over the last decade and what implications this has for the development of a Food Policy for Canada. Cunningham will seek to better understand the lived experience of food insecurity among post-secondary students in Canada.
Three scholarships are awarded annually to master’s or doctoral students who are pursuing research that contributes to the body of knowledge on food insecurity in Canada. Candidates are selected based on their academic preparedness, contribution of research findings and quality of the submission, including feasibility and methodological rigour.
“These scholarships will support high calibre, insightful research that increases knowledge on food insecurity and the impact of policy and program interventions,” said Michael H McCain, President and CEO, Maple Leaf Foods and Honorary Chair of the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security. “We are pleased to be able to support these students and look forward to sharing the knowledge that emerges from their research projects”.
The Centre’s goal is to work collaboratively across sectors to reduce food insecurity in Canada by 50 per cent by 2030. This includes supporting research that contributes insightful information on barriers and interventions to achieve sustainable food security.
SOURCE Maple Leaf Foods Inc.