Question Period Note: FOOD INSECURITY

Food insecurity

Our Government recognizes that food insecurity has been on the rise. We continue to make investments to support those facing hardships.

We have:

Made funding available to food banks and charities to help meet the needs of Canadians.

Invested in targeted social programs and income supplements, such as the Canada Child Benefit and Old Age Security, to reduce poverty, increase well-being and improve access to essentials, including food.

We will continue to work to address food insecurity, including delivering on our commitment to develop a National School Food Policy.

Food insecurity has been defined by the Government of Canada as “the inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so. Household food insecurity is often linked with the household’s financial ability to access adequate food.”

Previously, estimates of food insecurity and unmet health needs were published using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). Going forward, food insecurity and unmet health needs will be analyzed using data from the annual Canadian Income Survey (CIS), which was recently updated to include questions on food security.

Food insecurity estimates are based on 18 questions asked to CIS respondents as part of the Household Food Security Survey Module). Through these questions, respondents self-report on food insecurity situations resulting from limited financial resources.

The overall rate of food insecurity was 11.2% in 2020, compared to10.8% in 2019. This national rate does not include the population living in the territories (territorial rates are reported separately).

Based on a household’s experience, food insecurity can be categorized into 3 categories:

Marginal food insecurity: captures worry about running out of food and/or limited food selection due to a lack of money for food.

Moderate food insecurity: captures compromises in the quality and/or quantity of food due to a lack of money for food.

Severe food insecurity: captures missed meals, reduced food intake and, at the most extreme, go day(s) without food.

Canada’s Official Poverty Line and Food Prices

Canada’s Official Poverty Line is based on the Market Basket Measure (MBM), an existing measure of low income developed in Canada. The MBM establishes income thresholds based upon the cost of a basket of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and other items for individuals and families representing a modest, basic standard of living, across 53 regions in Canada. If a person’s or family’s disposable income is below the threshold for the region in which they live in a given year, they are considered to be living poverty.

The MBM uses the 2019 National Nutritious Food Basket (NNFB), developed by Heath Canada, to calculate the cost of the food component. The NNFB is a survey tool used by various levels of government and stakeholders to monitor the cost and affordability of healthy eating. Food prices are collected by Statistics Canada in 38 cities across Canada and updated annually using the provincial Consumer Price Index for food.

Food prices rose significantly in the last year – between April 2021 and April 2022, the price of food rose by 9.7%. Annual updates to food prices in the MBM’s food basket means that it is responsive to changing food prices. As such, the rising cost of food will be reflected in Canada’s poverty rates.

As food prices increase, poverty thresholds are likely to follow. This could impact poverty rates in Canada in the coming years.

Rising costs of food and rent are driving an increase in food bank usage according to the research paper of the School of Public Policy on food bank visits, released by University of Calgary researchers Ron Kneebone and Margarita Wilkins in March 2022. The report finds that visits to Toronto’s Daily Bread Food Bank increased by 53% between January 2014 and March 2020. The increase in food bank usage is seen across the Greater Toronto Area and is expected to continue as incomes are not keeping up with inflation.

Government approach to addressing food insecurity

Poverty Reduction Strategy

In 2018, Canada introduced Opportunity for All – Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy, which established an official measure of income poverty (Canada’s Official Poverty Line), set concrete poverty reduction targets and aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of ending poverty.

Results from the 2020 Canadian Income Survey (CIS) shows that Canada’s overall poverty rate, based on Canada’s Official Poverty Line, decreased from 14.5% in 2015 to 10.3% in 2019. Between 2015 and 2019, almost 1.3 million Canadians were lifted out of poverty, including 450,000 children and 25,000 seniors. In addition, between 2019 and 2020 approximately 1.4 million more Canadians, including 332,000 children and 162,000 seniors, were lifted out of poverty, with the overall poverty rate dropping further to 6.4% in 2020. It is important to note, however, that the significant decrease in poverty between 2019 and 2020 can be mostly attributed to temporary COVID-19 emergency income supports provided in 2020.

The Strategy recognizes that poverty and food insecurity are linked. Food insecurity is an indicator on the poverty reduction strategy’s dimensions of poverty hub under the “dignity” pillar.

As part of the strategy, Canada offers a number of robust and targeted social programs and income supplements that provide cash supports to many Canadians, enabling them to decide how to spend their money, reduce their financial burdens, and improve their access to essentials, including food. These include the Canada Child Benefit, which provides substantial income support to families raising children as well as Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement which play a significant role in providing income security for Canadian seniors.

Budget 2021 committed to providing $400 million in 2021-22 (extended to 2023-24) to create a temporary Community Services Recovery Fund to help charities and non-profits adapt and modernize so they can better support the economic recovery in our communities. This will include organizations that address food insecurity and support access to food.

Budget 2022 included several measures that will help to reduce poverty and inequality. These measures include a comprehensive plan to make housing more affordable, providing dental care for low-income Canadians and implementing an employment strategy for persons with disabilities. The Government is also working with provincial, territorial and Indigenous partners to implement a Canada-wide, community-based system of quality child care.

Budget 2022 also affirmed the 2021 Mandate Letter commitment of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to work with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous partners and stakeholders to develop a National School Food Policy and explore how more Canadian children can receive nutritious food at school.

Food Policy for Canada

Budget 2019 announced over $134.4 million in initial investments to support a Food Policy for Canada. Led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the policy is meant to ensure that all Canadians “are able to access a sufficient amount of safe, nutritious, and culturally diverse food [and that] Canada’s food system is resilient and innovative, sustains our environment and supports our economy.” The Food Policy for Canada aligns with the objectives of initiatives across the federal government, such as the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the Heathy Eating Strategy, and the Poverty Reduction Strategy, among others.

The announcement of the Food Policy included a federal commitment to “engage with provinces, territories, and key stakeholder groups to work toward the creation of a National School Food Program.”

As part of the implementation of the Food Policy, AAFC announced the Local Food Infrastructure Fund, a five-year, $60 million initiative, ending March 31, 2024, which supports community-based initiatives to strengthen food systems and improve food access.

“A healthy and nutritious diet is essential for children’s mental health, cognitive development and academic success, but not every Canadian child has access to the quality and quantity of food they need. The Government of Canada will work with government partners, Indigenous partners and stakeholders to develop a National School Food Policy and work toward a national nutritious meal program for schools so that every child has the building blocks they need to succeed.”

The Hon. Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

“Food banks and local food organizations are on the front lines making sure people get essential food support in their time of need. I encourage all my fellow Members of Parliament to contact the food security organizations in their region to ensure that the entire country is covered. If necessary, other networks will be added to the list of partners.”

The Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food

(Source: https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2020/04/03/prime-minister-announces-support-food-banks-and-local-food)