A food security advocate calls a new government initiative a positive step in the short term.

Josh Smee of Food First NL says government’s announcement of $1.8 million for Family Resource Centres to improve food security will help families in the immediate term, but long-term systemic changes are needed.

He says the one thing his organization has heard is that people want support attached to more wraparound services and the new initiative presents an interesting opportunity to scale up.

He says this “food as medicine” model presents an opportunity to learn how the system can address food insecurity in various places in the short term, while also working on long-term solutions.