Resource Library: Research & Toolkits

 

This resource library is a collection of reports, guides, and tools to support students and campuses to create resilient, just, and sustainable campus food systems. These resources encompass many lessons learned through Meal Exchange’s 30 year history, and are a result of countless collaborations with passionate students and partners from across the country. 

Click on the title to explore the resources in that section.

Research initiatives to gather data on student food security and campus food systems have greatly helped shape the understanding and awareness of the issues students face in their food systems across Canada. Mobilizing this data has the potential to achieve more success and impact when working to increase access to good food on campuses.

In this section you can find: 

  • Food Security research including both campus-specific and national level data

The student food movement and supportive campus partners have employed a variety of effective strategies to improve campus food systems over the years. The guides, templates, reports, and workshops within this section can help you to create change on your campus, whether you’re taking the first step or you’re looking for inspiration. 

In this section you can find: 

  • Specific Project Toolkits 

  • Campus Engagement Tools

  • Knowledge Building

  • Provincial Policy Recommendation

 

Research

  • Food Security

  • A large-scale assessment on food insecurity among post-secondary students at Dalhousie University, Brock University, Lakehead University, University of Calgary and Ryerson University to assess policy changes - on the level of education, health and economic inequalities - that would directly reflect student needs.

    Read Report

  • A study of the success of Ontario universities in providing locally-grown, sustainable, healthy, and accessible food - as rated by students, campuses themselves, as well as the physical food environment. This is the most comprehensive assessment of the student experience with campus food services to date.

    Read Report

    Read Campus Specific Reports

  • In partnership with the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, Fairuz Karim conducted a qualitative study to better understand the intersection between mental health and post-secondary food insecurity. In the past several years, increased household and adult food insecurity levels have been associated with poor self-reported mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression. However, the intersection between both challenges among post-secondary students in a Canadian context has not been well-studied. This study includes the interviewing of post-secondary students, student leaders, campus staff, and researchers. Findings demonstrate that food insecurity among post-secondary students can impact their mental health by impacting a student’s sense of agency, impacting their personal identity, creating social isolation and community exclusion, and having serious implications on student success.

    Keywords: Food insecurity, post-secondary, students, community, mental health, well-being, student services, Canada

    Read Report

    View Infographic

  • This report compiles data from more than 13 post-secondary campuses nation-wide to assess how students have been impacted by food security during the pandemic. Campus-specific reports assess student food insecurity on particular campuses and offer recommendations to improve student access to good food.

    Read Report: English / French

    View Infographic: English / French

Campus Food Insecurity Reports

  • Improving Campus Food Systems

Student Food Insecurity Campus Readiness Assessment

An assessment of existing responses to student food insecurity to support Canadian campus communities to take action on new initiatives. This report was a collaboration between Meal Exchange and staff and faculty at the University of British Columbia, the University of Guelph, McMaster University and the University of Ottawa in 2021.

Vision of a Good Food System

A visual infographic outlining how dignified access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food is essential for student wellbeing, academic success, and equal opportunity for education.

Campus Food Strategy Groups Feasibility Study

This study highlights the research behind the Campus Food Strategy Groups model which was the focus of student organizing during the Campus Food Systems Project (2011-2015).

Good Food Challenge (Project Development Package)

Developed over many years, the Good Food Challenge is a solution that offers campuses a comprehensive and decisive definition for Good Food, sets a high standard upheld consistently among institutions, and supports users in tracking their progress. While this is a comprehensive guide for a program that is no longer running, many elements may be used in a flexible way to provide inspiration for campuses looking to change their purchasing practices.

Good Food Guide

An outline with criteria for identifying and procuring food that meet student’s values of Good Food, developed with the consultation of many adivsers and students. Although associated with the former Good Food Challenge, this tool can still be used by students and food service providers to shift campus food systems towards student values. French version here

National Student Food Charter

The National Student Food Charter proudly engaged over 400 students through 25 peer-led consultations sessions on campuses across Canada, to create a visioning document for the national student food movement.

Promoting Food Secure Campuses

A framework of principles for campus food security to guide post-secondary institutions in taking action to address student food insecurity. This was a national collaboration between partners Meal Exchange, the University of British Columbia, McMaster University, the University of Ottawa, and the University of Guelph.

Moving Beyond Campus Food Banks: A Report on the Feasibility of the Community Food Centre Model on Campuses

A collaboration between Meal Exchange and Community Food Centres Canada to explore how a community food centre (CFC) model fits on campuses, based on the interconnection and prevalence of food insecurity, poor diet and social isolation on campuses.

Students Feeding Change

In response to student and campus stakeholder momentum after the release of Hungry for Knowledge, Meal Exchange launched the Students Feeding Change project on two unique campuses, Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and Lakehead University. We have linked challenge briefs and workshop summaries that outline deep learnings from the project.

  • Research Toolkits

This toolkit takes you through all the steps to collect the data and publish a Campus Hunger Report. Hunger Reports turn raw data from campus food bank members' into a powerful tool to leverage change.

A step-by-step guide to replicate Meal Exchange’s 2021 National Student Food Experience Survey, which explores student food security on campus and can be used as a valuable tool to promote campus-wide changes. The guide includes instructions on how to use SurveyMonkey, analyse data and promote the survey.

See the full report here.

A comprehensive toolkit available to students that offers a step-by-step approach to conduct research on student food insecurity on your campus, from meeting with stakeholders to final analysis and sharing your research.

Toolkits

Specific Meal Exchange Projects

Campus Engagement Tools

Knowledge Building & Communications Resources 

Good Food Campus Program: The Good Food Campus Program emerged as a core program amidst rising student food security due to the pandemic. Meal Exchange worked closely with individual campuses to act as a catalyst for increasing access to good food by empowering students to have their voices heard, facilitating collaboration, collecting student food experience data, and supporting innovative change unique to the needs of the campus.

Trick or Eat: Trick or Eat reimagined the Halloween experience of Trick or Treating. Instead of candy, up to thousands of volunteer Trick or Eaters collect food items from tens of thousands of households across Canada to support students and communities who were experiencing food insecurity. Check out this folder to find resources to help you set up a similar initiative!

Stomach This!: Stomach This! was Meal Exchange's first workshop series focussed on educating and mobilizing students around addressing food insecurity. The activity guides in this folder can help you run similar workshop activities with students.

Getting to Know Your Campus Food Systems Template

Campus Stakeholder and Power Mapping Guide and Template

Empathy Mapping Template

Guide to Leadership and Meetings

Improving Campus Food Banks Toolkit

1-1 Meetings

Event Planning Template

Event Facilitation Guide

Storytelling for Organizing

Guide for Great Events

Guide for Stellar Turnout

Coalition Building Guide

Campus Fundraising Guide

Campus Food Systems Project (2011- 2015): These toolkits were created to support students who were establishing Campus Food Strategy groups to improve multi-stakeholder organizing, procurement practices, and applied student research to improve their campus food systems. Includes:

  • Food Service Overview Toolkit

  • Purchasing Baseline Toolkit

  • Supply Chain Assessment Toolkit

  • Applied Student Research Toolkit

  • Multi-Stakeholder Toolkit

Provincial Policy Recommendation

Student Food Insecurity Policy in Ontario