Team Newfoundland and Labrador
Report
National Cohorts
Community Well-Being
Indigenous Foodways
Our Journey: Integrating Country Food into Health Care in Newfoundland and Labrador
When Team NL joined the Nourish Cohort, their aspiration was clear: to create lasting systems change by integrating country food onto menus in health care settings across Newfoundland and Labrador. The team envisioned a health authority that not only serves culturally relevant meals, but also supports the social determinants of health that contribute to the overall well-being of Indigenous peoples – physically, culturally, spiritually, and holistically.
“One of the most significant adjustments in our work came when we realized there was no specific wild meat licensing pathway for health care. Our team pivoted and worked with the Department of Fisheries, Forestry, and Agriculture to navigate an interim licensing pathway. Members of our team took the initiative to adapt and simplify the process internally, making it more accessible and less time-consuming for both hunters and buyers at Labrador Grenfell Health, thereby likely increasing a hunter’s willingness to sell goods and ensuring the supply of country food.“
Team Newfoundland & Labrador
Meet Team Newfoundland and Labrador
Food First NL is a provincial non-profit with more than 25 years of experience leading programs and advocacy. Food First NL advances the right to food by advocating, organizing, taking action, and valuing people to create a province where everyone can eat with joy and dignity.
Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation is located in the heart of Nitassinan, the Innu homeland, in present-day Newfoundland and Labrador. The Nation is formally represented by the Innu Nation, comprirsing over 3,200 people, most of whom live in the two Innu communities of Sheshatshiu and Natuashish.
Nunatsiavut Government is the first Inuit region in Canada to achieve self-government, a proud accomplishment for all Labrador Inuit. This distinct level of government oversees key areas, including program operations and management, services and budgets, business and employment.
NunatuKavut Community Council (NCC) represents roughly 6,000 Inuit across South and Central Labrador. As the governing body of their people, the Council serves as the collective voice of their territory through leadership grounded in Inuit traditions and a vision for the future.
Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) is responsible for providing health care across Newfoundland and Labrador with a goal to create a health care system that is more integrated, accessible, technologically enhanced, equitable, and sustainable for everyone.
The Team also worked with various staff and departments in the provincial Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.