Canadian Tool Helps Communities Track Healthy Food Access

Imagine driving hundreds of miles just to buy fresh fruit your local store doesn't carry. For many Indigenous communities in Canada, that's not imagination—it's grocery shopping.

Now researchers at Université de Montréal have created something that could change that reality. They call it FEAT-S, the Food Environment Assessment Tool in Store, and it measures what really matters when you walk into a grocery store: Can you find healthy food? Can you afford it? Is it actually fresh?

Ph.D. candidate Fabrice Mobetty led the development under professors Geneviève Mercille and Malek Batal. The project grew from a Canada-wide study focused on improving nutrition for First Nations youth, who face some of the highest rates of food insecurity, obesity, and diabetes in the country.

Previous tools only measured two things: availability and price. FEAT-S evaluates six dimensions including quality, variety, shelf space, and promotion. It covers 70 products, including the ultra-processed foods people actually buy despite health warnings.

The team tested FEAT-S in Montreal and Kanesatake, a Mohawk community west of the city. Nine food environment experts validated it with a score of 0.92 out of 1.0—exceptionally high for this type of research tool.

Why focus on Indigenous communities? "They're heavily dependent on food from grocery stores because access to traditional Indigenous foods has become difficult," Mobetty explains. Climate change, contamination, and government restrictions have all made traditional food gathering harder.

Previous studies found First Nations communities often complain about lower-quality, expensive food in their local stores. Some families make epic journeys to urban centers just to stock up on groceries.

The Ripple Effect

Researchers are now collecting data in several First Nations communities across Canada. They arrive with tablets loaded with FEAT-S and tape measures to gauge shelf space. After training, evaluating one store takes about 75 minutes.

Early findings are surprising. Not all food costs more in remote areas—though ultra-processed items consistently do. In one community, all 13 ultra-processed foods tested were pricier inside the village than outside.

The tool reveals patterns that demand explanation. Cheap fruit might signal quality problems or quick turnover to prevent spoilage. That's why researchers interpret results alongside community members, not in isolation.

These detailed profiles create solid data to support future public policy changes. Communities can use hard numbers to advocate for better food access instead of relying on anecdotes.

The research continues, but the tool already exists for any Canadian community to use. FEAT-S gives people power to measure what they've always known—and the evidence to demand better.