Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security awards four scholarships

$60,000 in scholarships to support research on food insecurity in Canada.

MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - (TSX: MFI) Maple Leaf Foods ("the Company") and the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security ("the Centre") today announced the four recipients of the 2026/27 Maple Leaf Board Scholarships in Food Insecurity.

These scholarships honour the extraordinary contributions of David Emerson, Wallace McCain, Purdy Crawford, and W. Geoffrey Beattie as past Chairs of the Maple Leaf Foods Board of Directors. Each year, the Centre awards four scholarships to Masters or Doctoral students who are pursuing research that contributes to the body of knowledge on food insecurity in Canada. Candidates are selected based on their academic standing, contribution to filling research gaps, and quality of the submission, including feasibility and methodological rigour.

Doctoral candidates Alexandra Doran from Simon Fraser University, Firoozeh Bairami Hekmati from Dalhousie University, Diego Bitencourt Minas from Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and Sian Borden from Queen's University will each receive a $15,000 scholarship to support their research.

• Alexandra Doran will explore how food and housing insecurity overlap for single mothers in Canada, using data and lived experience to better understand the problem and identify solutions.
  
  
• Firoozeh Bairami Hekmati will examine how Canada's Old Age Security programs affect the food security and well-being of low-income older adults in Atlantic Canada.
  
  
• Diego Bitencourt Minas will investigate how the urban food environment affects Indigenous people in Maniwaki and Gatineau, and how communities and local organizations are working to protect traditional food practices and support food security.
  
  
• Sian Borden will work with African Nova Scotian communities to better understand local food systems and support community-led ideas for stronger food security and food sovereignty.

"Food insecurity rates in Canada remain at alarming levels, which requires us to remain curious about how to approach the problem for different groups of people", said Sarah Stern, Executive Director of the Centre. "These research projects will help to build our understanding of at-risk populations and how government policies and community programs can best support them."

The Centre is proud to support research that contributes to our understanding of barriers and interventions to achieve food security. Since the scholarship was introduced in 2020, 25 students have received research scholarships. For more information about the scholarship process, visit the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security.

About the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security

The Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security ("the Centre") is a registered charity committed to working collaboratively to reduce food insecurity in Canada by 50% by 2030. The Centre invests in research, builds cross-sector partnerships, and advances policy solutions that address the causes of food insecurity.

About Maple Leaf Foods

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. ("Maple Leaf Foods") is a purpose-driven, protein-focused, brand-led consumer packaged goods company headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario. It proudly produces responsibly made, delicious food under powerhouse brands that includes Maple Leaf®, Maple Leaf Prime®, Maple Leaf Natural Selections®, Maple Leaf Mighty Protein™, Musafir™, Schneiders®, Mina® Halal, Greenfield Natural Meat Co.®, LightLife® and Field Roast™.  Committed to Raising the Good in Food and bringing customers protein with purpose, Maple Leaf Foods delivers shared value for all its stakeholders by leading the way in safety and sustainability, building loved brands, operating with excellence, developing extraordinary talent, and broadening its impact through innovation and geographic reach.

SOURCE Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security