Contextual findings and future research
| No. | Authors | Journal | Focus of study | Methods | Research context | Findings supporting the literature | Future research | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peoples | Regions | Foods | |||||||
| 1 | Ahmed et al., 2024 | Rural and Remote Health | This paper explores the goose harvesting programme, rooted in traditional food practices and its impact on wellbeing | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (photovoice and semi-structured interviews) | 5 First Nations women experts | Fort Albany First Nations, Subarctic Ontario, Canada | Traditional food, specifically goose | Initiatives based on customary food practices play an integral role in engaging community members and revitalising Indigenous cultural values that contribute to holistic wellbeing | Future food programmes should recognise the essential role of Indigenous women in supporting the intergenerational transmission of knowledge to address food insecurity and enhance wellbeing |
| 2 | Carter et al., 2025 | Arctic Science | This paper examines the cultural significance of country foods for Inuit and explores their seasonal harvesting | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (workshop: semi-structured interviews and individual interviews) | 14 communities across three Inuit regions in Arctic Canada 133 Inuit participants | Inuvialuit Settlement Region Nunavut Nunavik (Quebec) | Traditional foods | Sharing and eating country food strengthens community bonds, supports physical and mental wellbeing and reinforces food sovereignty | This study emphasises the need for policies and initiatives that support harvesting and shared consumption of country foods to promote overall wellbeing |
| 3 | Caughey et al., 2024 | Arctic Science | This research explores the meaning and significance of country food in the context of community wellbeing | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (in-depth conversational interviews and focus groups) | 10 Inuit women over age 50 | Qikiqtani region of Nunavut | Traditional food | Traditional food sharing practices are attributed to wellbeing, social connection, cultural identity and food security | Future interventions can be strengthened by incorporating traditional values that align with health and environmental policies |
| 4 | Collings, 2011 | Arctic | This paper uses a social network analysis to examine whether food-sharing patterns are influenced by climate change or other external stressors, such as shifting economic and social conditions | Mixed method – quantitative network analysis and qualitative ethnographic research and interviews | 14 Inuit men | Ulukhaktok: Northwest Territories, Canada | Traditional food store-bought food | Traditional food sharing practices are adaptable to environmental conditions but remain vulnerable to political and economic changes | Not applicable |
| 5 | Collings et al., 1998 | Arctic | This paper compares and analyses historical ethnographic accounts with contemporary food-sharing social networks to understand the patterns of change | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews, historical ethnographic accounts | 20 households in the Inuit community of Holman | Victoria Island, Canada | Traditional food | This paper compares several types of sharing practices and finds that customary Indigenous food practices have declined due to modernisation, wage economies and cultural shifts | Not applicable |
| 6 | Dombrowski et al., 2013 | Arctic Anthropology | This paper analyses kin-based food sharing practices, comparing traditional and store-bought food | Mixed method – quantitative social network analysis and qualitative interviews | 330 adult residents of the Inuit community | Labrador, Canada | Traditional and store-bought food | This paper finds that kin-based sharing is highly reciprocal and frequent in both traditional and store-bought food | Not applicable |
| 7 | Fillion et al., 2014 | International Journal of Circumpolar Health | The article aims to develop a strategic plan to address food security while strengthening cultural food practices and empowering communities | Qualitative – participatory approach (workshops and group discussions) | 23 Inuit participants | Inuvialuit settlement region | Traditional food | This paper offers several recommendations for developing community-driven food initiatives that build capacity to revitalise food-sharing practices and enhance food security | Future research and interventions should adopt interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral approaches to developing food initiatives |
| 8 | Guo et al., 2015 | International Journal of Circumpolar Health | This paper examines factors contributing to the decline of food-sharing networks and rising food insecurity in urban communities | Quantitative – cross-sectional household surveys | Inuit and non-Inuit households | Iqaluit, Nunavut | Traditional food | Barriers such as unemployment, rising prices, socio-cultural changes, migration and environmental changes are hindering customary food-sharing networks from reducing food insecurity | This study emphasises the need for collaborative approaches involving multiple governmental agencies and community organisations to address food insecurity |
| 9 | Harder and Wenzel, 2012 | Arctic | This paper examines the changes in food sharing practices over time in the context of a mixed economy | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews and conversations | 10 Inuit households and 69 individuals | Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food | This paper finds that kinship networks continue to govern food distribution and highlights that Indigenous practices of food sharing buffer social inequalities and climate challenges | Adopting Indigenous food practices can help address food insecurity |
| 10 | Hovelsrud-Broda, 1999 | Arctic Anthropology | This paper explores the critical role of food sharing as a link between past and present cultural systems and survival | Mixed method: qualitative observations and quantitative secondary data analysis | Inuit | Isertoq, East Greenland | Traditional food store-bought food | Customary food sharing practices typically occur within closely related households, governed by kinship ties and reciprocity. The study also found that store-bought food sharing is non-existent | Not applicable |
| 11 | Kawharu, 2020 | MAI Journal | This paper explores the opportunities that food initiatives based on traditional food practices can create | Quantitative – survey | 200 surveys with Māori participants | Northland: Aotearoa, New Zealand | Traditional food | Their findings suggest that food initiatives rooted in Indigenous food practices can reconnect and re-engage communities with cultural knowledge and values that are essential for food sovereignty | This article emphasises the need for infusing Indigenous and contemporary knowledges to strengthen existing food systems by exploring Indigenous concepts of reciprocity and environmental stewardship to inform the circular economy |
| 12 | Lardea et al., 2011 | Rural and Remote Health | The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of newly introduced food initiatives in an Indigenous locality | Qualitative – participatory action research (photovoice, workshops, group discussions and field notes) | Five Inuit men and three women | Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food store-bought food | Food initiatives act as vital support networks within the community, creating community solidarity and contributing to food security | There is a need to develop more intervention that not only focuses on improving food security but also contributes to improving the community’s wellbeing. Additionally, such programmes should incorporate support mechanisms to help those in need |
| 13 | Martin, 2011 | International Journal of Circumpolar Health | This paper develops the understanding of the relationship between food and culture and how it shapes overall health | Qualitative – interviews and focus groups (storytelling approach) | Inuit participants: eight young adults, eight middle-adults and eight Elders | Labrador, Canada | Traditional food | This study highlights that food sharing plays an integral role in the transmission of generational knowledge that is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle | The future food programmes can benefit from the cultural food practices, allowing conventional approaches to be rethought by connecting food to wellbeing |
| 14 | McMillan and Parlee, 2013 | Arctic | This paper explores the changes in food sharing practices between two forms of hunting: community-organised and household-arranged hunts | Mixed method – quantitative network analysis and qualitative ethnography, interviews and conversations | First Nations: community hunt: 10 households and 15 participants. Household-organised hunts: 7 households and 10 participants | Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories, Canada | Traditional food | Findings identify several motives and forms of food sharing, such as sharing by request, sharing as gifting | Adopting Indigenous food sharing practices to manage food resources can potentially address the needs of people experiencing vulnerability |
| 15 | Natcher, 2019 | Hunter Gatherer Research | This research quantifies the harvest of country foods and their distribution | Quantitative – mixed methods; surveys and network analysis | 879 First Nations households | Alberta, Canada | Traditional food | This study identifies several barriers to harvesting traditional food that negatively affect food sharing practices. Their findings indicate that sharing practices are diminishing due to changes in socio-economic conditions, land allocation to industries and government policies | Cultural food practices should be used for sustainable development motives and to enhance the wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples |
| 16 | Natcher et al., 2021 | Hunter Gatherer Research | This paper examines First Nations households’ engagement in mixed economies aimed at changing economic and ecological conditions and its impact on their vulnerability | Quantitative – exploratory research surveys | 1268 First Nations household surveys | Peace River region of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada | Traditional food | This paper highlights several barriers to customary food practices and the decline in food sharing networks. Their findings show that changing economic and environmental conditions are increasing vulnerability and food insecurity among First Nations | This study calls for targeted interventions to uplift the wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples |
| 17 | Neill and Toloke, 2021 | Journal of the Polynesian Society | The paper explores traditional food as a marker of Tongan identity and examines how it sustains cultural norms and traditional identity over time and place | Pasifika research methodology (Talanoa): extended open-ended conversations | 3 Tongan experts | Aotearoa New Zealand | Traditional food | This study highlights that cultural ways of preparing and sharing food are shaped by time and place, but in essence, it maintain cultural identity | Not applicable |
| 18 | Neufeld and Richmond, 2020 | Current Developments in Nutrition | This study examines the historical context of the present-day food environment, revealing that colonial disruptions have contributed to food insecurity and cultural loss among Indigenous Peoples | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (life history interviews and open-ended conversations) | 18 First Nations Elder women | Ontario, Canada | Traditional food | This study highlights several barriers to cultural food sharing practices that contribute to food insecurity, including changes in the social environment stemming from structural discrimination, displacement and cultural disconnection | This study emphasises the development of food programmes to revitalise Indigenous food practices |
| 19 | Moeke-Pickering et al., 2015 | MAI Journal | The paper explores Māori food security and sovereignty, focusing on revitalising cultural food practices to address food insecurity and promote holistic wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand | Māori research methodology: interviews and photographs | 10 Māori participants | Eastern Bay of Plenty region, Aotearoa, New Zealand | Traditional food | This paper reveals that food security is rooted in cultural practices of food sharing and is essential to uplift wellbeing of people and the planet | This study highlights that framing Indigenous food sharing in food programmes can help build resilient communities |
| 20 | Quintal-Marineau, 2019 | Hunter Gatherer Research | This paper explores the contemporary practices of food sharing within Indigenous communities, focusing on the sharing of store-bought food | Qualitative – mixed method: field work (diaries) and interviews | 82 Inuit interview participants and 76 dairies | Clyde River, Nunavut | Store-bough food | This paper finds that store-bought food is becoming an integral resource for communal feasts and meal-sharing events. Furthermore, it is shared as gifts, hosting meals and accounts on food stores are also shared | Not applicable |
| 21 | Omura, 2023 | Hunter Gatherer Research | This study explores the Inuit worldview on food practices and the role of child sharing in distributing food within extended families | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research and interviews | Inuit | Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food | This paper concludes that food sharing practices are central to the Inuit subsistence system. Food is shared to show respect for wildlife. By sharing food, Inuit prevent the establishment of a hierarchical structure that reduces inequality | Not applicable |
| 22 | Rana et al., 2024 | International Journal of Circumpolar Health | This paper highlights the role of Indigenous sharing practices during crises to uplift the community’s wellbeing | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (interviews) | 70 Inuit Participants | Nunavut, a Canadian Arctic territory | Country food and food hampers | Community food sharing initiatives provide access to both country and store-bought food during crisis periods, contributing to the community’s wellbeing | This paper urges policymakers to integrate Indigenous knowledge in future food initiatives |
| 23 | Ready, 2017 | Hunter Gatherer Research | The paper examines the persistence of cultural food-sharing practices in Inuit social, economic and political life aimed pressures from wage labour and market integration | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews and secondary data | 110 Inuit households | Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food | In evolving economic structures, the social relationships sustained through food sharing remain paramount for Inuit communities | Researchers working with Indigenous communities with transitioning economies should develop frameworks aimed at sustaining traditional food practices |
| 24 | Tomaselli et al., 2018 | Arctic | This paper explores the importance of country food for community residents and its critical role in providing local food security | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (interviews, exercises and field notes) | 23 Inuit and 7 non-Inuit | Victoria Island, Nunavut, Canada | Traditional and store-bought food | This paper argues that country food or locally harvested foods are vital for retaining cultural identity, sustaining associated practices and ensuring food security | Interdisciplinary research is needed to preserve cultural practices surrounding locally harvested food that are essential to maintain cultural resilience and improve food security |
| 25 | Wenzel, 1995 | Arctic Anthropology | This paper provides a comparative analysis of historical and present-day sharing practices among Inuit communities | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews and historical data | Inuit | Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada | Traditional and store-bought food | This paper finds that the Inuit sharing system is dynamic and bounded by rules and traditional obligations. Despite cultural erosion, Indigenous practices of food sharing remain central to the Inuit community and maintain its holistic wellbeing | Not applicable |
| No. | Authors | Journal | Focus of study | Methods | Research context | Findings supporting the literature | Future research | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peoples | Regions | Foods | |||||||
| 1 | This paper explores the goose harvesting programme, rooted in traditional food practices and its impact on wellbeing | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (photovoice and semi-structured interviews) | 5 First Nations women experts | Fort Albany First Nations, Subarctic Ontario, Canada | Traditional food, specifically goose | Initiatives based on customary food practices play an integral role in engaging community members and revitalising Indigenous cultural values that contribute to holistic wellbeing | Future food programmes should recognise the essential role of Indigenous women in supporting the intergenerational transmission of knowledge to address food insecurity and enhance wellbeing | ||
| 2 | This paper examines the cultural significance of country foods for Inuit and explores their seasonal harvesting | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (workshop: semi-structured interviews and individual interviews) | 14 communities across three Inuit regions in Arctic Canada 133 Inuit participants | Inuvialuit Settlement Region Nunavut Nunavik (Quebec) | Traditional foods | Sharing and eating country food strengthens community bonds, supports physical and mental wellbeing and reinforces food sovereignty | This study emphasises the need for policies and initiatives that support harvesting and shared consumption of country foods to promote overall wellbeing | ||
| 3 | This research explores the meaning and significance of country food in the context of community wellbeing | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (in-depth conversational interviews and focus groups) | 10 Inuit women over age 50 | Qikiqtani region of Nunavut | Traditional food | Traditional food sharing practices are attributed to wellbeing, social connection, cultural identity and food security | Future interventions can be strengthened by incorporating traditional values that align with health and environmental policies | ||
| 4 | Collings, 2011 | This paper uses a social network analysis to examine whether food-sharing patterns are influenced by climate change or other external stressors, such as shifting economic and social conditions | Mixed method – quantitative network analysis and qualitative ethnographic research and interviews | 14 Inuit men | Ulukhaktok: Northwest Territories, Canada | Traditional food store-bought food | Traditional food sharing practices are adaptable to environmental conditions but remain vulnerable to political and economic changes | Not applicable | |
| 5 | This paper compares and analyses historical ethnographic accounts with contemporary food-sharing social networks to understand the patterns of change | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews, historical ethnographic accounts | 20 households in the Inuit community of Holman | Victoria Island, Canada | Traditional food | This paper compares several types of sharing practices and finds that customary Indigenous food practices have declined due to modernisation, wage economies and cultural shifts | Not applicable | ||
| 6 | This paper analyses kin-based food sharing practices, comparing traditional and store-bought food | Mixed method – quantitative social network analysis and qualitative interviews | 330 adult residents of the Inuit community | Labrador, Canada | Traditional and store-bought food | This paper finds that kin-based sharing is highly reciprocal and frequent in both traditional and store-bought food | Not applicable | ||
| 7 | The article aims to develop a strategic plan to address food security while strengthening cultural food practices and empowering communities | Qualitative – participatory approach (workshops and group discussions) | 23 Inuit participants | Inuvialuit settlement region | Traditional food | This paper offers several recommendations for developing community-driven food initiatives that build capacity to revitalise food-sharing practices and enhance food security | Future research and interventions should adopt interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral approaches to developing food initiatives | ||
| 8 | This paper examines factors contributing to the decline of food-sharing networks and rising food insecurity in urban communities | Quantitative – cross-sectional household surveys | Inuit and non-Inuit households | Iqaluit, Nunavut | Traditional food | Barriers such as unemployment, rising prices, socio-cultural changes, migration and environmental changes are hindering customary food-sharing networks from reducing food insecurity | This study emphasises the need for collaborative approaches involving multiple governmental agencies and community organisations to address food insecurity | ||
| 9 | This paper examines the changes in food sharing practices over time in the context of a mixed economy | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews and conversations | 10 Inuit households and 69 individuals | Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food | This paper finds that kinship networks continue to govern food distribution and highlights that Indigenous practices of food sharing buffer social inequalities and climate challenges | Adopting Indigenous food practices can help address food insecurity | ||
| 10 | This paper explores the critical role of food sharing as a link between past and present cultural systems and survival | Mixed method: qualitative observations and quantitative secondary data analysis | Inuit | Isertoq, East Greenland | Traditional food store-bought food | Customary food sharing practices typically occur within closely related households, governed by kinship ties and reciprocity. The study also found that store-bought food sharing is non-existent | Not applicable | ||
| 11 | This paper explores the opportunities that food initiatives based on traditional food practices can create | Quantitative – survey | 200 surveys with Māori participants | Northland: Aotearoa, New Zealand | Traditional food | Their findings suggest that food initiatives rooted in Indigenous food practices can reconnect and re-engage communities with cultural knowledge and values that are essential for food sovereignty | This article emphasises the need for infusing Indigenous and contemporary knowledges to strengthen existing food systems by exploring Indigenous concepts of reciprocity and environmental stewardship to inform the circular economy | ||
| 12 | The purpose of this study is to understand the effects of newly introduced food initiatives in an Indigenous locality | Qualitative – participatory action research (photovoice, workshops, group discussions and field notes) | Five Inuit men and three women | Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food store-bought food | Food initiatives act as vital support networks within the community, creating community solidarity and contributing to food security | There is a need to develop more intervention that not only focuses on improving food security but also contributes to improving the community’s wellbeing. Additionally, such programmes should incorporate support mechanisms to help those in need | ||
| 13 | This paper develops the understanding of the relationship between food and culture and how it shapes overall health | Qualitative – interviews and focus groups (storytelling approach) | Inuit participants: eight young adults, eight middle-adults and eight Elders | Labrador, Canada | Traditional food | This study highlights that food sharing plays an integral role in the transmission of generational knowledge that is vital to maintaining a healthy lifestyle | The future food programmes can benefit from the cultural food practices, allowing conventional approaches to be rethought by connecting food to wellbeing | ||
| 14 | This paper explores the changes in food sharing practices between two forms of hunting: community-organised and household-arranged hunts | Mixed method – quantitative network analysis and qualitative ethnography, interviews and conversations | First Nations: community hunt: 10 households and 15 participants. Household-organised hunts: 7 households and 10 participants | Fort Good Hope, Northwest Territories, Canada | Traditional food | Findings identify several motives and forms of food sharing, such as sharing by request, sharing as gifting | Adopting Indigenous food sharing practices to manage food resources can potentially address the needs of people experiencing vulnerability | ||
| 15 | This research quantifies the harvest of country foods and their distribution | Quantitative – mixed methods; surveys and network analysis | 879 First Nations households | Alberta, Canada | Traditional food | This study identifies several barriers to harvesting traditional food that negatively affect food sharing practices. Their findings indicate that sharing practices are diminishing due to changes in socio-economic conditions, land allocation to industries and government policies | Cultural food practices should be used for sustainable development motives and to enhance the wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples | ||
| 16 | This paper examines First Nations households’ engagement in mixed economies aimed at changing economic and ecological conditions and its impact on their vulnerability | Quantitative – exploratory research surveys | 1268 First Nations household surveys | Peace River region of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada | Traditional food | This paper highlights several barriers to customary food practices and the decline in food sharing networks. Their findings show that changing economic and environmental conditions are increasing vulnerability and food insecurity among First Nations | This study calls for targeted interventions to uplift the wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples | ||
| 17 | The paper explores traditional food as a marker of Tongan identity and examines how it sustains cultural norms and traditional identity over time and place | Pasifika research methodology (Talanoa): extended open-ended conversations | 3 Tongan experts | Aotearoa New Zealand | Traditional food | This study highlights that cultural ways of preparing and sharing food are shaped by time and place, but in essence, it maintain cultural identity | Not applicable | ||
| 18 | This study examines the historical context of the present-day food environment, revealing that colonial disruptions have contributed to food insecurity and cultural loss among Indigenous Peoples | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (life history interviews and open-ended conversations) | 18 First Nations Elder women | Ontario, Canada | Traditional food | This study highlights several barriers to cultural food sharing practices that contribute to food insecurity, including changes in the social environment stemming from structural discrimination, displacement and cultural disconnection | This study emphasises the development of food programmes to revitalise Indigenous food practices | ||
| 19 | Moeke-Pickering | The paper explores Māori food security and sovereignty, focusing on revitalising cultural food practices to address food insecurity and promote holistic wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand | Māori research methodology: interviews and photographs | 10 Māori participants | Eastern Bay of Plenty region, Aotearoa, New Zealand | Traditional food | This paper reveals that food security is rooted in cultural practices of food sharing and is essential to uplift wellbeing of people and the planet | This study highlights that framing Indigenous food sharing in food programmes can help build resilient communities | |
| 20 | This paper explores the contemporary practices of food sharing within Indigenous communities, focusing on the sharing of store-bought food | Qualitative – mixed method: field work (diaries) and interviews | 82 Inuit interview participants and 76 dairies | Clyde River, Nunavut | Store-bough food | This paper finds that store-bought food is becoming an integral resource for communal feasts and meal-sharing events. Furthermore, it is shared as gifts, hosting meals and accounts on food stores are also shared | Not applicable | ||
| 21 | This study explores the Inuit worldview on food practices and the role of child sharing in distributing food within extended families | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research and interviews | Inuit | Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food | This paper concludes that food sharing practices are central to the Inuit subsistence system. Food is shared to show respect for wildlife. By sharing food, Inuit prevent the establishment of a hierarchical structure that reduces inequality | Not applicable | ||
| 22 | This paper highlights the role of Indigenous sharing practices during crises to uplift the community’s wellbeing | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (interviews) | 70 Inuit Participants | Nunavut, a Canadian Arctic territory | Country food and food hampers | Community food sharing initiatives provide access to both country and store-bought food during crisis periods, contributing to the community’s wellbeing | This paper urges policymakers to integrate Indigenous knowledge in future food initiatives | ||
| 23 | The paper examines the persistence of cultural food-sharing practices in Inuit social, economic and political life aimed pressures from wage labour and market integration | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews and secondary data | 110 Inuit households | Nunavut, Canada | Traditional food | In evolving economic structures, the social relationships sustained through food sharing remain paramount for Inuit communities | Researchers working with Indigenous communities with transitioning economies should develop frameworks aimed at sustaining traditional food practices | ||
| 24 | This paper explores the importance of country food for community residents and its critical role in providing local food security | Qualitative–community-based participatory research (interviews, exercises and field notes) | 23 Inuit and 7 non-Inuit | Victoria Island, Nunavut, Canada | Traditional and store-bought food | This paper argues that country food or locally harvested foods are vital for retaining cultural identity, sustaining associated practices and ensuring food security | Interdisciplinary research is needed to preserve cultural practices surrounding locally harvested food that are essential to maintain cultural resilience and improve food security | ||
| 25 | This paper provides a comparative analysis of historical and present-day sharing practices among Inuit communities | Qualitative – mixed method: ethnographic research, interviews and historical data | Inuit | Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada | Traditional and store-bought food | This paper finds that the Inuit sharing system is dynamic and bounded by rules and traditional obligations. Despite cultural erosion, Indigenous practices of food sharing remain central to the Inuit community and maintain its holistic wellbeing | Not applicable | ||
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