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Definitions & Lingo

Food insecurity.  Poverty.  Emergency food program.  Reclamation.  LICO.  Each of these terms is common to those in the world of food banks, and those dealing with issues of hunger and poverty.  However, as “food bank lingo”, these words require some translation or further definition.

You can increase your understanding of food banks, as well as your vocabulary by reading the through our collected definitions.

AGENCY

The term agency is a broad descriptor for any program or organization that is served by a larger food share or food bank.  For example, the House of Friendship in Kitchener would be considered an agency of the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.  An agency may be an emergency food program, a food rescue program, a community kitchen, or any other hunger relief program.

COMMUNITY KITCHEN

A community kitchen is an publicly accessible environment where anyone can cook meals for themselves and/or their families.  Community kitchens will often have a small access or membership fee, and can have kitchen groups where people meet regularly to cook meals together.  They are often used to stretch people’s dollars, but they also function as a community gathering point.  In some cases, community kitchens are also used to train those in need in the culinary arts, so that those who were once hungry can become professional chefs, and feed their family well.  There are a number of community kitchens in towns and cities across Ontario.

EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAM

Soup kitchens, shelters and many food banks are considered emergency food programs.  They are not set-up cannot meet the complete hunger needs of those that they serve.   In essence, these programs only meet emergency food needs.

FOOD BANK

A food bank is a broad term for an organization or entity that acquires, stores and distributes food to the needy in their community.  Food banks are typically supported by community food drives, umbrella organizations, as well as grocery stores, local agriculture, food manufacturers and other distributors.  There are approximately 200 food banks in Ontario today.  Although a typical food bank is somewhat different from an emergency food program, it may also offer those services, alongside others such as clothing and counseling.

The first official food bank in Canada formed in Edmonton in the early eighties.  Food banking in North America originated much earlier, in Phoenix, Arizona in the 1960’s, as a warehouse to distribute food to local charities.  In concept, it was more of an evolution than the birth of something new, as emergency food programs have existed in Canada since the early twentieth century.  The Salvation Army and other churches have also operated hunger relief initiatives since the mid-nineteenth century across North America.

FOOD HAMPER

Food hampers provide three to five-day food packages directly to families and individuals who do not have enough food. These complete packages are put together in a box, and are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals.  They will often include meat, consumer products, dairy products and other essentials. Many food banks in Ontario hand out hampers to those that they serve.

FOOD RESCUE PROGRAM

Food rescue programs collect and deliver fresh food that would otherwise be wasted from restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, caterers and others to emergency food programs.  They deal primarily in perishable foods.  Second Harvest in Toronto operates a food rescue program in the GTA.

FOOD SECURITY

According to the United Nations, food security, “exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”  In general, the word “hunger” is seen as interchangeable with food insecurity, although “hunger” is seen as a more appropriate term.  There is no commonly agreed upon statistical definition of food security, or insecurity.

FOOD SHARE

A food share is typically an umbrella organization or cooperative of a group of food banks.  They do not typically serve clients directly.  Two examples of food shares are Hamilton Food Share and Kawartha Lakes Food Source.

HUB

A hub is generally a food bank or food share that services a number of smaller food banks, which are sometimes known as spokes.  These “hubs” are often large distribution warehouses, with their own transportation, freezer and cooler space.  For example, the Food Bank of Waterloo Region is a hub for many food banks in South Western Ontario.

HUNGER

Hunger is the result of food deprivation, often due to the impact of poverty on an individual or population.  The impacts of hunger are devastating: poor health, lack of concentration, lower educational attainment, and other social problems.  Hunger is a problem for Ontarians, as thousands go hungry every day.

LICO

LICO or the Low Income Cut-off measure is determined by Statistics Canada.  LICO is the point where the portion of income spent on food, clothing and shelter is 20 percentage points more than average.

POVERTY

Poverty is the state of being without: resources, food, shelter, or any of the basic necessities of life.  In economic terms, there are two kinds of poverty: absolute and relative.  Absolute poverty is a defined standard that has been agreed upon by experts and many countries.  For many, absolute poverty also has two major classifications.  There is extreme poverty, where an individual lives on less than one dollar a day, and there is moderate poverty, where an individual lives on between one and two dollars a day.   Relative poverty is dependent on the country or region, as well as the social context.  As a statistical definition of relative poverty in Ontario, the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB) generally uses the commonly recognized Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) standard.  Another common measure of poverty is “economic distance” from median household income.  For the OECD, this level is set at 50 or 60 per cent of median household income.

RECLAMATION

Many grocery stores will receive product that is slightly damaged or mislabeled, but considered unfit to be displayed in its aisles.  This might include issues such as missing barcodes, dented cans or boxes, or surplus stock.  Companies like Alternative Processing Systems (APS) take this usable product from grocery stories, count it for the manufacturer and grocer, and then ship it to food banks across Ontario.  The resulting product is known as reclamation.  Reclamation can include both consumer and food product, from crackers to baby diapers.

SHELTER

Shelters provide temporary housing and meals for those in difficult domestic situations, as well as for homeless families and individuals. In addition many shelters provide referrals to other social service agencies.  Shelters are often considered agencies of larger food banks or food share operations.

SKID

A skid is a wooden pallet for loading and handling food products in large food banks.  Food that is distributed across Ontario is usually counted by the number of skids, along with the weight.

SOUP KITCHEN

Soup kitchens prepare hot, nutritious meals for people in need.  For some of the soup kitchen's walk-ins, this is their only meal of the day. Many soup kitchens also serve their neighbours who are homebound. Some soup kitchens in Ontario serve over 200 meals per day.

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