Eleventh International Conference on Food Studies

Abstract

Food democracy derives its strength from alternative foods movement initiatives including community kitchens. In addition to ameliorating food security and nutrition of underserved and vulnerable populations; community kitchens serve as group facilitators, incubators for social enterprises, support systems for struggling communities, drivers of sustainability, and bridges between the masses and local governments. No research, however, has been undertaken to explore the contribution of community kitchens to food democracy. Understanding the role of community kitchens in pushing forward food democracy is important in how they are perceived and understood in the domain of food policy. We performed a systematic search of three literature databases in June 2021 (Scopus and Web of Science) and July 2021 (PubMed) for studies reporting findings and/or outcomes of community kitchens. 16 studies were identified after rigorous screening and quality criteria, and their empirical insights were matched against the five dimensions of food democracy – collaboration, knowledge, deliberation, efficacy, and community good. While the article does not limit its focus on a particular geographical region, more than half of the studies (n = 9) were based in Canada. Knowledge and Deliberation were the most commonly reported dimensions (n = 15) of food democracy. This review finds that there is a strong evidence that community kitchens contribute to food democracy.