Food Insecurity in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties

Food insecurity occurs when a household does not have enough money to buy food. Continue reading to learn more about food insecurity in our area and why No Money for Food is … Cent$less.

Reproduced with permission of Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit

What is the problem?

• About 1 in 9 households in Haldimand and Norfolk counties are food insecure¹
• Only 1 in 4 people experiencing food insecurity access a food bank²
• Many household incomes are not enough to cover the cost of living
  • In Ontario, almost 60% of food insecure households received employment income³
  • 2019 Nutritious Food Basket data shows that a single person receiving Ontario Works would not have enough money to pay for food and rent each month

Why does it matter?

• Food insecurity negatively impacts physical and mental health
• Food insecurity takes a significant toll on our healthcare budget, with severely food insecure adults spending up to 121% more healthcare dollars than food secure adults⁴

What can be done?

Be aware
Learn more about why No Money for Food is…Cent$less

• The Impact of Food Insecurity on Health
• PROOF Food Insecurity Policy Research
• ODPH Position Statement on Responses to Food Insecurity
• 2019 Food Banks Canada Hunger Report
• Feed Ontario 2019 Hunger Report

Spread the word

• Talk about food insecurity with family and friends
• Share credible messages about food insecurity and poverty on social media

Advocate and participate in elections

• Advocate for income responses to household food insecurity, such as basic income and increased social assistance rates
• Vote – your voice matters!

Nutritious Food Basket

Every year Health Units across Ontario use the Nutritious Food Basket costing tool to determine the cost of healthy eating for their region.

In May 2019, the monthly cost of feeding a family of four in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties was $912.24.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food banks and other emergency food resources

Click here for a list of emergency and low cost food programs in Haldimand and Norfolk Counties.

References

1. Canadian Community Health Survey 2013-2014. Statistics Canada, Share File, Knowledge Management and Reporting Branch, Ontario MOHLTC.
2. Loopstra, R. & Tarasuk, V. (2012). The Relationship between Food Banks and Household Food Insecurity among Low-Income Toronto Families. Can Pub Policy. 38, 497-514.
3. Tarasuk, V, Mitchell, A, Dachner, N. (2016). Household food insecurity in Canada, 2014.Toronto: Research to identify policy options to reduce food insecurity (PROOF).Retrieved from http://proof.utoronto.ca/
4. Tarasuk, V., Cheng, J., de Oliveira, C., Dachner, N., Gundersen, C., & Kurdyak, P. (2015). Association between household food insecurity and annual health care costs. Can Med Assoc J. 187(14), E429-E436. Factsheet retrieved from http://proof.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/health-impact-factsheet.pdf