Dr. Ben Bradley of the History Department recently edited and published a special issue in the journal Social History, on "Agriculture, Food, and Fuel Markets in Canada, 1860s-1990s".

Here is a preview of the first paragraph from the co-authored introductory article:

"WHILE HOARDING OF HAND SANITIZER and toilet paper dominated the headlines, shortages of basic food items such as flour, eggs, yeast, and canned beans made the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic a rare moment in the last 75 years. Millions of Canadians suddenly had serious worries about exactly where their daily intake of calories was going to come from. Queuing to enter grocery stores was a dramatic break from established food gathering routines. For some, carefully planning shopping trips (for the purpose of social distancing) was a novel experience. But above all, it was empty and sparsely stocked supermarket shelves that raised questions that were uneasy and unfamiliar to most. Would needed products be available? What could serve as substitutes? Would shortages be prolonged or spread to other products? Was it fair to stock up (within the allowable purchase limits) in order to reduce future trips and avoid possible shortages? Such concerns and breaks from routine exposed vulnerabilities intrinsic to Canada’s modern food system, wherein the vast majority of consumers produce very, very little of what they themselves eat" (Nurse & Bradley 2021, 243).