Food Security of Temporary Foreign Farm Workers under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review

Statement of Significance: In light of the COVID-19 emergency situation and the ongoing restrictive measures towards containing the spread of the infection, the health and food security of the already vulnerable temporary foreign farm workers become even more compromised since they provide essential services within exceptionally challenging work and living conditions. Recent reports and media news indicate severe illness and death outbreaks among migrant workers, especially on farms and food-processing facilities due to work-related exposure. There is an immediate need to address these workers' vulnerability to food security. This scoping review contributes to the efforts towards advancing our knowledge and understanding of a largely understudied and complex phenomenon of food security of temporary foreign farm workers within the context of an exceptionally challenging precarious status in which they live and work, in order to underline knowledge gaps and suggest further research focus and policy change recommendations. Temporary foreign farm workers (TFWs) are among the most vulnerable and exploitable groups. Recent research shows alarming rates of food insecurity among them. This review explores research focussing on food security of TFWs in Canada and the United States, summarizes findings, and identifies research gaps. Online databases, including MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and government and nongovernment websites, and websites of migrant worker-supporting organizations were searched for peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed papers and reports published between 1966 and 2020 regarding food security of TFWs. Articles reviewed were analyzed to determine publication type, country, year, target population, and main findings. Content analysis was performed to identify major themes. Of 291 sources identified, 11 met the inclusion criteria. Most articles (n = 10) were based on studies conducted in the United States. The prevalence of food insecurity among TFWs ranged between 28% and 87%. From the content analysis, we formulated 9 themes, representing a diversity of perspectives, including access to resources, income, housing and related facilities, food access, dietary pattern and healthy food choices, and migrant's legal status. Instruments reported for the measurement of food security include USDA Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM; n = 8, 72.7%), the modified version of the USDA HFSSM (n = 1, 9%), hunger measure (n = 1, 9%), the modified CDC's NHANES (n = 1, 9%), and 24-h recall, diet history, and/or food-frequency questionnaire (n = 3, 27.3%). Factors impacting food security of TFWs working under the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programs (SAWPs) in North America are understudied. There is a need to advance research looking particularly at policies and regulatory and administrative aspects of the SAWPs to improve the food security of this cohort. There is also a need for qualitative studies that explore lived experiences and perspectives of TFWs and key informants. Longitudinal studies may be useful to examine various factors, including policy-related, contributing to food insecurity of TFWs over time.

Automated summary

In light of the COVID-19 emergency situation and the ongoing restrictive measures towards containing the spread of the infection, the health and food security of the already vulnerable temporary foreign farm workers become even more compromised. This scoping review explores the research on the food security of temporary foreign farm workers in Canada and the United States, and identifies existing research gaps. The prevalence of food insecurity among temporary foreign farm workers ranges from 28% to 87%. Factors such as access to resources, income, housing, food access, dietary pattern, and legal status have been found to impact the food security of these workers. Further research is needed to investigate policies, regulations, and administrative aspects to improve their food security.