Committees of the Board of Directors

The Board may from time to time appoint any committee or other advisory body, as it deems necessary or appropriate for such purposes and, subject to the Act, with such powers as the board shall see fit. Any such committee may formulate its own rules of procedure, subject to such regulations or directions as the Board may from time to time make.

ad hoc Committee on Palestine and the Right to Food

Food, Empire and Colonialism: From Palestine to Turtle Island  (Panel Video)

Colonialism, starvation and resistance: How food is weaponized, from Gaza to Canada (Article)

From Palestine to Turtle Island Food as a weapon of colonialism and tool of liberation (CFS Article)

Palestine solidarity in Nanaimo continues as UN commission declares genocide in Gaza (Article)

Food Systems and Agricultural Scholars and Practitioners Demand Escalation of Canada’s Response to Israel’s Use of Mass Starvation as a Tool of Genocide Against Palestinians

On September 4, 2025, over 600 food, nutrition, and agricultural scholars, students, workers, practitioners and organizations signed a letter that was delivered to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, demanding an immediate escalation of Canada’s response to Israel’s use of mass starvation as a tool of genocide against the Palestinian people. The list of signatories includes distinguished scholars, national and regional organizations and labour unions, and hundreds of Professors, graduate students, and community members working within Canadian food systems and agricultural networks and organizations.

The signatories call for the Canadian government to immediately enact all economic, diplomatic, and political measures available to end its complicity with Israel’s genocide, and to pressure the Israeli government to end its military siege on Gaza and its ongoing destruction of food, water, and agricultural resources across the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The group demands that the government act to ensure restoration, reparation, and accountability for the decades-long occupation, oppression, and crimes committed against the people, land, waters, and seeds of Palestine.

Based on their significant expertise and experience in food systems and agriculture research and practice, the signatories contend that food justice and sovereignty requires the full realization of Palestinians’ right to self-determination and liberation

Letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand (September 2025)

Strategic Planning Committee

In recognition of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Canadian Association for Food Studies (CAFS), the Strategic Planning Committee was established in early 2024 to oversee a process to articulate a vision, core values, and goals for CAFS over the next 10 years. The Committee’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Developing and implementing the strategic planning process (including key timelines and milestones) over the 2024/2025 Term;
  • Meeting bi-monthly to coordinate activities and delegate tasks based on availability
  • Meaningful engagement of the CAFS Board and membership in setting future directions
  • Consulting relevant stakeholders involved in food systems scholarship and practices
  • Analysis and synthesis of findings from consultations and membership engagement, and developing a final report on the recommended vision, values, and goals
  • Reporting to the Board on a monthly basis on the status of the process; and
  • Reporting the results from the Strategic Planning Process at the 2025 Annual General Meeting.

Opportunities for engaging in this process by community members and the CAFS membership will be shared and posted on this page periodically.

CAFS Community Feedback Survey Report April 2025