Recording of “Flavours of Home: Cultural Meal Provision through Ontario’s Meals on Wheels Programs” now available

On September 24th, 2026, Dr. Yukari Seko presented a talk entitled “Flavours of Home: Cultural Meal Provision through Ontario’s Meals on Wheels Programs.” This talk provides an analysis of the interrelationships between institutional foodways and lived experiences of migration, identity, and belonging. Dr. Seko presented the results of her mixed-methods study, which examined cultural meal offerings through Meals on Wheels (MOW) programs across Ontario, specifically looking at the service of Chinese and Kosher menus. 

The recording of the presentation and Q/A session is now available in English. You can watch it here or on our YouTube channel.

Recording

Abstract

Food security in later life is a complex phenomenon shaped by multiple socioeconomic and cultural factors. As Canada’s older adult population becomes increasingly diverse, ensuring they can access food with dignity and comfort is essential to advancing equitable aging in place. This mixed-methods study examined cultural meal offerings through Meals on Wheels (MOW) programs across Ontario, Canada. Beginning with ethnographic case studies of two MOW programs in Toronto that serve Chinese and kosher meals, Dr. Seko’s team developed and conducted a province-wide survey with 63 MOW programs. The findings reveal systemic challenges related to outsourced meal preparation, heavy reliance on volunteer delivery, and limited capacity to proactively respond to Ontario’s growing cultural diversity. The findings also highlight the need for sustainable delivery infrastructure, stronger partnerships between MOWs and culturally specialized food providers, nutritional guidelines and policy frameworks for home-delivered meals for older adults, and greater conceptual clarity regarding cultural food security.

Previous Speaker Series Events

This event was the seventh installment of the Care Economies in Context Speaker Series. Previous events include:

• “Care peaks, plateaus, and loops: narrative insights on stress from family caregivers for seniors” with Dr. Alexa Carson
• “Immigrants’ Mental Health Dilemma” with Dr. Hui Zhang
• “Healthy Ageing & Long-Term Care Policies in Asia” with Dr. Soonman Kwon
• “Caring for the Caregiver: An Intersectional Analysis of Caregiver Policies in Canada” with Kayla Benjamin and Dr. Erica Di Ruggiero
• “Creating the Conditions for Care” with Dr Pat Armstrong
• “Connecting Through Care: Navigating Systemic Challenges and Exploring Immigrant Identities in Ethnocultural Care in Canada” with Izumi Niki
• “Care and Climate Change: A Conceptual Framework” with Dr. Ito Peng and Dr. Shawn Marshall