A University of Montreal study on food security and nutrition has found that it’s a major issue for First Nations in Saskatchewan, with a higher percentage of people not having access to healthy food as compared to the rest of the country.
Food security means having physical and economic access to sufficient, nutritious food.
Professor Malek Batal says in Canada, less than 10 per cent are food insecure.
That compares to 37 per cent of First Nations’ households in Saskatchewan.
Batal says poverty is one of the issues, as is lack of access to healthy food because some First Nations are remote.
He notes that the cost for a very basic basket of healthy food to feed a family of four could be as high as $479 per week.

Participants in the study also reported wanting to eat more traditional foods, like moose, deer and blueberries.
Barriers to access includes the lack of a hunter in the household, not having the correct equipment to hunt, the transportation or the knowledge.