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Food autonomy as promoted by the government is not always compatible with environmental protection and the health of the population. A new study by the Institute for Research in Contemporary Economy (IREC), carried out in collaboration with Équiterre, is critical of certain ultra-processed food sectors and recommends the development of others.
When this organization saw that the government was going to pay $3 million to the giant PepsiCo to produce corn chips in Lévis, it saw fit to try to broaden the concept of food autonomy.
“Producing chips and frozen pizza processed here with imported, or even local, ingredients is for some a way of building food autonomy. This is not completely wrong, but the study shows that it is not environmentally sustainable nor beneficial for people’s health,” explains Carole-Anne Lapierre, agronomist and agriculture and food systems analyst at Equiterre.
Sovereignty, self-sufficiency, food security: there are several ways to define food autonomy, described in the IREC study. “The idea we often have is an equation to see to what extent our production corresponds to our consumption,” says Mme Stone.
In recent years, Quebec has announced a series of measures to promote this autonomy, including investments in the greenhouse industry and robotization.
“We also really need to go further,” she continues in an interview, reviewing the very foundations of the concept of autonomy to integrate sustainable practices and the health aspect. “Does our way of producing food contribute to the ecological transition? Does it benefit soil health? » asks the analyst.
IREC therefore dissects three sectors of often ultra-processed foods to better reveal their weaknesses: potato chips, frozen pizzas and yogurts. “What they have in common is that they are little or not at all in line with the concerns of sustainability, public health and proximity,” write the researchers.
Yogurt is undoubtedly the element that will surprise you the most: its classification as a processed or ultra-processed product will depend in particular on its sugar content or the degree of technological complexity involved in the transformation of the basic ingredients. Diafiltered milk, which is increasingly used in the composition of industrial yogurt but which escapes tariff quotas, is also mentioned in passing as an example of a breach in the local supply management ecosystem.
A new golden age?
The study highlights that the government’s biofood policy will expire in 2025 and that Quebec should therefore seize this opportunity. “We are seeing it with the battery industry at the moment: when there is political will and resources, we are capable of being ambitious and innovative,” remarks Carole-Anne Lapierre.
Increasingly, agricultural producers are encouraged to diversify what they plant in their fields. Using more types of grains is a guarantee of health for the soils, in particular, says this agronomist. She explains that fields devoted to field crops (wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, canola, sunflowers) represent approximately 50% of all land in Quebec. “The environmental benefit would be over a very large area. »
This is why the sectors suggested in the voluminous document primarily concern this type of culture. Naked oats, identity-preserved soybeans (called IP or non-GMO) and buckwheat all have the potential to become “star foods,” according to Équiterre and IREC.
Mme Lapierre indicates in particular that buckwheat experienced a golden age in Quebec at the beginning of the 20th century.e century, after being brought by Breton settlers. From an agronomic point of view, its cultivation is a real insurance for producers, she says, because the plant is hardy, competitive against weeds and it grows very quickly.
This cereal became less popular around the middle of the last century, being then associated with poverty, or even the avarice of Séraphin Poudrier, who swore only by buckwheat pancakes in the famous TV series. The beautiful stories of the countries above.
Hard to convince you to abandon Friday night frozen pizza for buckwheat in order to save the planet and your cholesterol level? The specialist laughs and admits “that maybe it makes you salivate less”. However, she is convinced that with a little promotion and agricultural incentives, this cereal could make a comeback. Gluten-free, rich in vitamins and minerals, versatile, buckwheat can be used to make cookies, crackers, bread, muffins. It can also be eaten roasted (kasha) or added to stews or salads. So, a little more soba noodles to help your food independence?