Disrupting Food Insecurity & Fat Phobia

Paul Taylor, the former head of FoodShare and a life-long anti-poverty activist, dismantles the barriers – include fat phobia and weight bias – that constrain people’s access to food on their own terms. Listen to this episode to hear Paul’s story, learn about FoodShare’s commitment to food justice, body liberation and fat acceptance, and reflect on how public health practitioners can confront harmful weight discrimination with dietitian Lillian Yin.(00:00) Introduction(02:22) Interview with Paul Taylor (44:05) Interview with Lillian YinEpisode Guests: Paul Taylor is a lifelong anti-poverty activist and a champion for the right to food. Paul was the executive director of FoodShare Toronto until January 2023. Growing up materially poor in Toronto, inspired Paul to commit his life to doing what he can to dismantle the systems of oppression that cause and uphold food insecurity and wealth inequality, including neoliberalism and white supremacy. Paul has been named one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40, one of Toronto Life’s 50 Most Influential Torontonians and voted Best Activist by readers of NOW Magazine. Alongside his colleagues at FoodShare, Paul works to support community-led food infrastructure with the collective vision of a Toronto where everyone can feed themselves, their loved ones and their communities with dignity and with joy. Paul’s experience also includes executive director roles at Gordon Neighbourhood House and the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House. He has chaired the British Columbia Poverty Reduction Coalition, served on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and as Vice-Chair of Food Secure Canada. Paul teaches courses at Simon Fraser University. Lillian Yin is a registered dietitian and a diabetes educator, of East-Asian descent with roots in Taiwan and China. For the last 7 years, she is privileged to serve in spaces across the spectrum of life, from infancy and pregnancy, through adolescence and older adult years, and various areas of the health system ranging from acute and primary care to community and public health. Driven by her passion to advance social justice and achieve health equity within the wider system through collective action, she is currently pursuing a Master in Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Learn more: Foodshare’s statement on body liberation and fat acceptanceWeight bias: a call to action (Journal of Eating Disorders, 2016)The Focus is on Health, Not Weight (Vancouver Coastal Health, 2019) What are the implications of food insecurity for health and health care? (PROOF)Black Food Matters: Racial Justice in the Wake of Food JusticeUpstream action on food insecurity: A curated list (NCCDH, 2017) Food Justice (Food Secure Canada)Episode Credits: This episode is produced by Rebecca Cheff, Carolina Jimenez, and our host Bernice Yanful. Coordination of communications, webpage development and dissemination are led by Caralyn Vossen. Technical production and original music by Chris Perry. Artwork by comet art + design. Mind the Disruption is a podcast by the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. The NCCDH is hosted by St. Francis Xavier University and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of PHAC.