Food insecurity... in Canada?

Most people in Southern Ontario don't really think about the origins of our food. It's readily available in grocery stores, corner stores, markets... Basically we can get food for a reasonable price at any time of day or night. That's really what being food secure means: we don't have to worry about sufficient food being available or affordable. Food insecurity is generally associated with countries in the Global South, especially those experiencing drought or crop failures.

Recently a representative from the United Nations embarrassed the Canadian government by saying that many people in Canada are not able to eat decently because food prices are unaffordable. This is particularly a problem in Arctic Canada where food prices are a significantly higher than they are here. For the past few weeks, people in Nunavut have been demonstrating in front of grocery stores to protest the high food costs. Research has shown that almost 3/4 of Inuit preschoolers live in homes without a sure supply of food. In fact, two-thirds of Inuit parents find that they sometimes run out of food and are not able to purchase more.

Think about that for a minute. What would you do if you were not able to afford food for your family? How must these parents feel when they aren't able to provide for their kids? Do we, as fellow Canadians, have a responsibility to make sure that everyone in Canada has access to affordable food?

Families in some northern communities have a grocery bill of up to $1000 each week? What is your average grocery bill? Have you ever worried about where you would get your next meal or if you would be able to afford it? Have you ever paid $7 for a loaf of bread? $6 for a cucumber? $15 for four litres of milk? $20 for 2 kg of rice? $28 for a head of lettuce? Some food prices have decreased in the past few years, but there is still a long way to go before there is food security in Canada.