The University of Guelph is getting $764,000 from the Government of Canada over two years toward research to address factors for healthy eating.
The healthy eating project is led by U of G professor Jess Haines, with a focus on unhealthy eating and physical activity in a specific Guelph neighbourhood.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work together with Onward Willow residents to co-design actions to improve food access,” said Haines.
“Food Uniting Neighbours aims to create place-based actions focused on reducing systemic barriers, increasing access to healthy foods, and skill-building opportunities to promote healthy eating,” she said.
The funding is distributed through the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Healthy Canadians and Communities Fund, which aims to lower Canadians’ risk of chronic disease through risk factors, with the projects it funds.
“It’s important everyone in Guelph and across Canada have the ability to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle regardless of social or economic factors,” said Lloyd Longfield, member of parliament for Guelph.
“Through partnership with the University of Guelph, this funding will improve the quality of life of those across our region. I look forward to improvements around access to healthy food for people in Guelph regardless of their age or circumstances, in alignment with Canada’s first ever Food Policy we developed a few years ago,” he said.
