Food Consumption Patterns and Use of Country Foods by Native Canadians Near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada

Abstract

ABSTRACT. This study examined food consumption patterns of native (Indian and Metis) Canadians living in a boreal forest area with good access to both store-bought and country foods (traditional foods from the land, such as wild animals, birds, fish and berries). Frequency of use by season of 48 country foods by 120 households was examined by interview with the female household head. Wenty-four-hour recalls of individual food consumption on four separate days over two seasons were obtained by interview with 178 persons (71 males, 107 females) age 13-86 years, and the mean values per person were used to represent their usual intakes. The mean reported household frequency of use (number of occasions per year) was as follows: all country foods 319, including large mammals 128, berries 63, fish 62, birds 32, and small mammals 27. The upper quintile of households used country food two and one-half times more often than the sample as a whole. Recalls of individual food consumption showed that country food was consumed on average 4.2 times per week and averaged 0.5 kg per week. Country meat, birds and fish accounted for one-third of the total consumption of meat, birds and fish. Young people consumed less country food than did their elders. Thus, country food constitutes an important part of the food supply, especially of meat and fish of many native people of this region. Key words: country food, food consumption patterns, Indians, Metis, native Canadians RÉSUMJ?. Cette étude se penche sur les schémas de consommation alimentaire des autochtones canadiens (Indiens et Métis) qui vivent dans une zone de la forêt boréale et possedent un accès facile à la fois aux aliments achetés en magasin et aux aliments recueillis dans la nature (aliments traditionnels provenant de l'environnement même, comme animaux sauvages, oiseaux, poissons et baies). La fréquence saisonnitre d'utilisation de 48 aliments provenant de la chasse, de la pêche et de la cueillette, dans 120 foyers a été ,déterminée lors d'interviews avec la maîtresse du foyer. Des données sur la consommation alimentaire individuelle recueillies sur 24 heures durant quatre journées non consécutives réparties sur deux saisons, ont été obtenues lors d'interviews avec 178 personnes (71 de sexe masculin, 107 de sexe féminin), âgées de 13 à 86 ans, et les valeurs moyennes par personne ont été utilistes pour représenter leurs consommations habituelles. La fréquence d'utilisation moyenne rapportée par foyer (le nombre de fois où l'aliment est consomme dans une année) était la suivante: tous les aliments provenant de la chasse, de la pêche et de la cueillette, 319 -ce qui inclut les gros mammifères (128); les baies, 63; le poisson, 62; les oiseaux 32, et les petits mammiftres, 27. Le quintile supérieur des foyers utilisait des aliments provenant de la chasse, de la pêche et de la cueillette deux fois et demie plus souvent que I'échantillon en général. Les données de consommation alimentaire individuelle ont montré que les aliments provenant directement de la nature (chasse, pêch...

Contemporary Use of Traditional and Imported Food among Greenlandic Inuit

“…These results support the general opinion that men more than women experience a need to eat traditional food. A more frequent consumption of traditional food by men has also been described among native Canadians (Wein et al, 1991).…”

Full Issue

“…Traditional food systems are also highly influenced by resource availability and the physical environment (Kuhnlein et al, 2001;Waldram, 1985;Wein, Henderson Sabry, & Evers, 1991). Previous studies examining traditional food access and availability have often taken place in remote regions where environmental safety issues associated with traditional foods such as wild meats and fish have been viewed with concern, particularly in northern communities where contaminants have accumulated up the food chain in many species (Furgal & Seguin, 2006;Kuhnlein & Chan, 2000;Receveur et al, 1997;Tsuji et al, 2005;Waldram, 1985;Wein et al, 1991).…”

“…Traditional food systems are also highly influenced by resource availability and the physical environment (Kuhnlein et al, 2001;Waldram, 1985;Wein, Henderson Sabry, & Evers, 1991). Previous studies examining traditional food access and availability have often taken place in remote regions where environmental safety issues associated with traditional foods such as wild meats and fish have been viewed with concern, particularly in northern communities where contaminants have accumulated up the food chain in many species (Furgal & Seguin, 2006;Kuhnlein & Chan, 2000;Receveur et al, 1997;Tsuji et al, 2005;Waldram, 1985;Wein et al, 1991). Comparatively, in southern Canada, few studies have reported on environmentally contaminated locally harvested foods (Abonyi, 2001;Bruyere & Garro, 2000;Chan, Trifonopoulos, Ing, Receveur, & Johnson, 1999;Garro, 1994;Lang, 1989), or their decreased access due to environmental modification, such as urban development and the displacement of Indigenous species (Doolan, 1991;Hlimi, Skinner, Hanning, Martin, & Tsuji, 2012;O'Neil, Reading, & Leader, 1998;Turner & Turner, 2008;Wheatley & Paradis, 1997).…”

What's in your freezer? Traditional food use and food security in two Yukon First Nations communities.

“…Frequency of traditional food use has been found to be higher among males and increase with age in both genders Receveur et al, 1997;Wein et al, 1991), although clear trends have not been found when evaluating age and gender together.…”

“…In Yukon First Nations, terrestrial animals make up the largest group of traditional foods, with moose and caribou the most frequently consumed species (Batal et al, 2005;Nakano et al, 2005b;Wein & Freeman, 1995). Men generally consume more traditional foods than women, and older individuals tend to consume more traditional foods than younger individuals; however there is not a clear pattern when age and gender are considered together Receveur et al, 1997;Wein et al, 1991). In a study of 44 Dene/Metis, Yukon First Nations and Inuit communities, men aged 20-40 consumed more traditional food than women of the same age group .…”