Experts are sounding the alarm about widespread "food insecurity" across Canada, where millions struggle to afford adequate food due to financial constraints. Data shows over 4 million Canadians are food insecure, including over 40% of clients at the Calgary Food Bank. Food insecurity disproportionately impacts the North, where almost half of Nunavut households experience it. Experts call for a national strategy and basic income support to address the root causes of a problem exacerbated by lack of income security.

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Experts sound alarm on ‘food
insecurity’ in Canada
HEIDI WESTFIELD, SPECIAL TO NATIONAL POST | March 18, 2016 4:24 PMET
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Lineups at food banks are not new, but the economic downturn has made them even more
pronounced. The number of new people using the Calgary Food Bank has grown
significantly in the past year.
“The demand is increasing,” James McAra said. “This is the worst I have seen. It tells me
the story of what is happening in Calgary.”
McAra began working at the Calgary Food Bank 15 years ago, as “chief cook and bottle
washer.” Today, he is the president and CEO, overseeing more than 60 staff members
and hundreds of volunteers. They served 3 million meals and snacks to the hungry last
year alone. More than 40 per cent of their clients are children.
While the situation in Calgary is aggravated by the plunge in oil prices, researchers say
millions of Canadians find it a challenge to put food on the table. They have collected data
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2. that suggests what is called “food insecurity” is a serious issue affecting households all
across the country.
The term is used differently for countries in the developing world, where food shortages
are common, and for the developed world, where food insecurity is often connected to
income. In Canada, food insecurity is defined by experts as “inadequate or insecure
access to food because of financial constraints.”
“By our best estimate, there are more than 4 million Canadians currently living in situations
where they are struggling to afford the food that they need,” said Dr. Valerie Tarasuk, a
University of Toronto professor and a principal author of a series of reports on Household
Food Insecurity in Canada. “It is a very serious problem, and if we don’t pay attention to it,
it just festers.”
Tarasuk works with Proof, an interdisciplinary, cross-jurisdictional research team. Using
data from the Canadian Community Health Survey, the group compiled a comprehensive
look at the state of food insecurity in Canada.
Food insecurity can vary from mild to severe, and encompasses a range of experiences. It
includes anything from running out of food before there is more money to buy more, to the
inability to afford a balanced diet. In more severe cases, food insecurity is defined as
going hungry, missing meals, or not eating for a whole day because of a lack of money to
buy food.
The most recent available national measure, from the year 2011-2012, suggests a
widespread problem that shows few signs of easing.
The northern territories of Canada face the most daunting levels of food insecurity. For
Tarasuk, the data that stands out the most is from Nunavut, where they estimate that
almost half the households are food insecure. “It is a situation that is disastrous,” Tarasuk
said. “It is a distinct problem that merits immediate attention.”
The problem is not limited to the north. Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario
account for the largest share — 85 per cent of food-insecure individuals. It is also a
persistent issue in the Maritimes.
The rising cost of produce, meat, and other foods affects their affordability. The low
Canadian dollar doesn’t help when it comes to groceries imported from the United States.
Still, according to Tarasuk, those variables simply exacerbate an already troubling
situation. She believes food insecurity in Canada is closely tied to a lack of income
security.
“Food is not the only struggle they have,” Tarasuk said. “Invariably, there are a whole lot of
things they cannot afford. They can be behind in their rent, for example, and likely have
inappropriate housing.”
At the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, executive director Gail Nyberg believes food
insecurity can happen to anyone who experiences a job loss or family breakdown. She
also points to low salaries and welfare allowances. In Toronto, where rents are high, a
single person could easily spend his/her welfare cheque on housing alone, leaving little
room to buy groceries.
“We have lots of food in Canada,” Nyberg said. “There is no shortage of food. There is a
shortage of income to buy it.”
Nyberg believes it is time to open a national conversation, and look at changing some of
the rules around government assistance. It is also something Tarasuk at Proof would like
to see. She is a proponent of a basic support at the federal level to give all Canadians a
minimum income. Her research has found that since 2005, the problem has grown across
most of the country. She says that is unlikely to change, unless new measures are brought
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Maple Leaf Foods is raising awareness for the critical need to address food insecurity
nationally, regionally and locally in Canada. To join the conversation and recognize the
people in your community who are trying to solve it by nourishing the potential of others
with good food, followthe #FeeditForward hashtag on social media and visit
mapleleaf.com. To learn about Maple Leaf’s Food Security Commitment, visit
http://www.mapleleafsustainability.com
This story was produced by Postmedia Content Works in collaboration with Maple Leaf
Foods to promote awareness of this topic for commercial purposes. Postmedia’s
editorial departments had no involvement in the creation of this content.
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