Ottawa-The cost of food consistently ranks as Canadians’ top concern, ahead of health care and inflation, says Ashley Bruner, Director, Research and Stakeholder Engagement, Canadian Centre for Food Integrity.

The Centre’s research shows Canadians experience food security first through affordability, she told the Senate agriculture committee.

“This indicates that food security is experienced at the household level through everyday purchasing decisions rather than through awareness of national supply.”

Still public confidence has improved and trust in food safety and regulation remains strong. Data collected by the Centre “suggests this increase is closely tied to heightened pro-Canadian sentiment during a period of global uncertainty and geopolitical instability.”

When international systems feel less predictable, Canadians tend to express stronger confidence in domestic food production. This also happened in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scientists, farmers and health experts are among the most trusted sources of information.

Lisa Bishop-Spencer, the Centre’s Executive Director, said food security exists not only when food is available, but when people believe the system will continue to work for them.

“Public confidence does not replace sound policy or strong production, but it shapes how Canadians respond to pressure within the system.”

“When confidence is strong, volatility is absorbed more effectively. When confidence erodes, anxiety and misinformation spread quickly. This helps explain why affordability, food security and trust are so closely linked.”

While innovation is a core factor in Canada’s food security, it is not understood by Canadians as technology for its own sake but as outcomes such as reliable supply, sustainability and affordability, she said.

“When trust in innovation is low, confidence in the system’s capacity to respond to emerging pressures declines and regulators tend to adopt a more risk-averse approach.”

This limits the agri-food sector’s adaptability and increases its vulnerability. “Canada’s food system can be secure on paper and fragile in practice if public confidence collapses.”

“Recognizing public trust as an integral component of food security strengthens resilience.”

However, when it comes to messaging about food system attributes, “affordable, safe and healthy hit the top of the list, but at the very bottom of that list is innovative.”

That was an important finding for the agri-food sector because it meant our message is not landing.

When the Centre asked how innovation can be positioned to gain public support, one in five Canadians reacted with anxiety about innovation and food production.

“People love innovation with education and health care, but when it comes to food, it becomes deeply personal for them.”

When the issue is phrased as “because of the work we do, more food is produced here in Canada, that gets more endorsement and understanding from people.”

“When we say that, because of the work we do, we can help feed 400 million people around the world, that’s when we see people adopting the message.”

When innovation is described in terms of outcomes, “that’s when we can capture Canadians’ pride in innovations, as well as their understanding.”

This news report prepared for National Newswatch