University of Manitoba researchers are working with a northern First Nation to develop nutrient-enhanced vegetables that could help combat health problems like diabetes, but they also need to convince locals to eat them.
“We saw a lot of stereotypes,” said Stephanie R. Cook, smart farm manager for the Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN). “People said, ‘Oh… it’s fake, it’s fake food.’”
Cook understands that hesitation, as she was also afraid to eat produce during her first few months on the job. Coming from a traditional background, she says she was taught that food comes from the earth, not a lab.
“It was funny because when I first ate it, I was really surprised by how fresh it was. You know, normally, coming from the north, you’re not used to something that fresh, unless it’s from the garden in the summer.”
University of Manitoba researchers are working with the Opaskwayak Cree Tribe to create more nutritious vegetables that could help fight diabetes and other conditions.
The vertical smart farm was created by OCN in 2016 as a pilot project to see if it could grow vegetables faster year-round, providing fresher, more affordable produce to a remote northern community about 520 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg where vegetables are difficult to grow year-round and expensive to transport and purchase.
Plants are grown hydroponically in stacked layers, without soil, which means a smaller carbon footprint than traditional farming. Blue, red and green LEDs mimic sunlight. AI controls temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and nutrients.
When the smart farm was first established, it provided vegetables to OCN families for free through food programs at the local health center, in an effort to encourage a healthier diet. Now the focus has shifted to research.
Fighting diabetes
OCN has about 4,652 members, about 2,850 of whom live on the reservation. Nearly half of OCN’s adult population has type 2 diabetes, said N. Glen Ross, executive director of the Opaskwayak Health Authority.
“On average, we were probably seeing two to three deaths a month due to diabetes-related issues,” Ross said.
To change that, OCN partnered with Miyoung Suh and her team at the University of Manitoba and the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine at the St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre. Suh has received several grants to support the smart farm and her research.
The team experimented with different growing, harvesting and post-harvest processing conditions, finding that some made the vegetables more nutritious and potentially more effective at slowing the progression of diabetes.
“We’re trying to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes by using vegetables as an energy source,” said Ruchira Nandasiri, a food scientist at the University of Manitoba and an assistant professor in Suh’s lab.
The smart farm is currently growing cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts solely for research purposes.
As part of their work, the team discovered ways to manipulate light and nutrients to stimulate the production of antioxidant compounds in vegetables that have implications for obesity, blood glucose control, inflammation, blood pressure and heart function, Nandasiri said.
As he explained, they do not genetically modify the products, but they change the environment in which they grow.
The vegetables are being fed to obese and diabetic rats by dietitian and PhD candidate Breanne Semenko, who is studying the rats’ health to see what effect the vegetables have. She hopes to have final conclusions by fall.
However, preliminary results show that OCN vegetables contain levels of compounds such as beta-carotene, potassium and manganese that are four to 11 times higher than those found in grocery store products, Suh said.
That means someone could eat fewer vegetables but still get the same health benefits, she explained, adding food as a “fundamental entry point to building healthy communities.”
Drafting regulations
But now they must encourage locals to cook and eat their vegetables. That’s a challenge in part because fresh produce isn’t a regular part of their diet, especially in winter.
“We want to try to make these vegetables as accessible as possible to people in the community,” Semenko said. “If you didn’t necessarily grow up with constant access to fresh produce, you don’t necessarily know how to use them.”
So they turned to colleagues at the Prairie Research Kitchen (PRK) at Red River College Polytechnic to develop recipes that would be easy to make and take into account cultural differences.
“Our chefs created a smart farm kale chili and a sage and kale cornbread to go with the chili,” said executive chef Mavis McRae. “The goal today is to show how we can cook it, flavor it, and add to a healthy diet without too much prep or worrying about flavor.”
They set up shop at the mall to hand out food during the annual Opaskwayak Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, which runs from Aug. 13 to 19.
Darrell Lathlin was initially skeptical about the green chile bits and greenish hue of the cornbread, admitting he had no idea what kale was.
Still, he gave the samples a thumbs up. “They taste healthier, more natural.”
Agnes Cowley said the chilli tasted “different” but “nice” and said she would like to find a way to feed it to her grandchildren “instead of the junk food they always get, like chips and gravy”.
Linda Scott said she’ll come back for the recipe later. “I don’t know what it is, but I like the taste,” she said of the kale-infused food.
The researchers said they were pleased with the feedback.
“It’s a small move, right?” Suh said. “We want to get some feedback so we can improve it even more.”
The researchers have applied for funding to develop First Nations food products, including the vegetables produced by the team – hoping to help ensure food security in the north as well as provide new economic opportunities for the community.
