FNFNES launched in Alberta

Eleven First Nations communities in Alberta will be part of the Assembly of First Nations’ national First Nations Food, Nutrition, and Environment Study, which was launched in 2008, with data collected in 48 First Nations to date. The FNFNES aims to gather information from 100 randomly selected First Nations communities across Canada about use of traditional and store-bought food; food security issues; traditional foods for nutrient values and contaminant content; mercury exposure; trace metals in drinking water; and pharmaceuticals and their metabolites in surface water. “As consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, this study will be led by First Nations collecting their own data to provide a valuable baseline that can support decision-making now and into the future,” said AFN Alberta Regional Chief Cameron Alexis, in a news release.