What is food insecurity, how is it affecting Ontarians, and what steps could governments take to reduce it?
Food banks are experiencing unprecedented demand as more and more Ontarians struggle to afford their basic necessities each month. This is a sign that change is urgently needed and is why we’ve joined Food Banks Canada’s call for all parties to prioritize reducing food insecurity by 50% by 2030 during this election.
What is food insecurity?
Food insecurity means that a person does not have enough food or enough of the right kind of food to meet their daily needs. In some countries this can be caused by famine or drought, but in Ontario is it most often because the cost of food is more than people or families can afford.
However, not all food insecurity looks the same, and can vary based on someone’s circumstances. Typically, it’s described by three different levels of severity: marginal, moderate, and severe.
Food insecurity can look like worrying about running out of food, missing meals, or needing to eat less to stretch the food they have further. Sometimes a person experiencing food insecurity may have to buy less food or need to buy less expensive food, which usually means eating less healthy fruits, vegetables, and meat and relying on highly-processed and nonperishable foods. At its most severe, someone may even go days without being able to eat.
How many people in Ontario are food insecure?
It may come as a surprise, but the majority of people who experience food insecurity do not seek the help of a food bank. And it’s not just due to the range of severity we’ve described. Studies have shown that even those experiencing severe food insecurity only turn to a food bank as a last resort. Often, someone in need will turn to family and friends for help, take on debt, or miss bill payments before accessing a food bank.
This can be seen in the latest data on both food insecurity and food bank use in Ontario.
In 2023, 3.6 million people living in Ontario experienced an indicator of food insecurity at some point during the year. That’s 24.5% of the population.
That same year, 1 million Ontarians accessed a food bank, and Ontario experienced the highest increase in food bank use out of all the provinces.
Even though more people than at any time in history are turning to a food bank for support in Ontario, there are still millions more that are in need and facing food insecurity.
What are the impacts?
Though food insecurity affects nutrition, that’s not its only impact. It’s a serious health issue that can cause harm to someone’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Food insecurity is one of the social determinants of health, which means that our social and economic situations are in part what shape our health outcomes.
According to PROOF, a research program out of the University of Toronto being food insecure can lead to a greater likelihood of experiencing more infectious disease, poor oral health, injury, chronic pain, heart disease, and arthritis. Many of those who experience food insecurity also reported missing or delaying their important medications because they couldn’t afford them, leading to worsening health as well. At its worst, food insecurity can lead to premature death.
These physical affects are all very troubling, but it can also impact mental health as well, leading to a greater risk of anxiety and depression. The stress of not knowing where one’s next meal is coming from, or the shame of not being able to afford food can be harmful to someone’s overall wellbeing.
Food insecurity is a major public health issue, one that Ontario is facing on a wide scale.
What can governments do?
At its core, the problem of food insecurity is caused by not having enough income to afford the basic necessities. By addressing the root causes of poverty and ensuring everyone can afford the cost of living, food insecurity will also be reduced.
There are several factors that have spurred a rise in inadequate income in Ontario. Two of the main causes are a lack of quality jobs and disinvestments in our social assistance programs.
Precarious work has grown in the province, which often means workers wages are lower and they often have inconsistent or part-time hours. This makes it challenging to get by on the income they earn.
Strengthening protections for workers and reducing barriers to unionization could improve wages and working conditions throughout the province. These are solutions that could work in tandem to improve food security.
Social assistance is another cause of inadequate financial resources for people in Ontario. Social assistance rates haven’t kept pace with the cost of living, and the programs often leave the people that need them in poverty. We know that people who have to rely on social assistance make up around 60% of food bank visitors. Making improvements to these programs is one solution that could not only reduce poverty, but also work to strengthen food security.
Canada’s future shouldn’t include hunger
We can all agree that Canada’s future shouldn’t include hunger. As Canada’s political parties build their election platforms they have the opportunity to prioritize addressing the root causes of poverty with the goal of decreasing food insecurity across the country. Putting solutions into action to make sure everyone can afford the cost of living are the first steps to strengthening food security in Canada.
Feed Ontario’s vision is to build an Ontario where everyone is food secure. To learn more and stay up to date about the work we do, sign up for our newsletter.