Question Period Note: FOOD INSECURITY AND FOOD BANK USE

Publication of Food Banks Canada’s 2024 HungerCount Report

• The Government recognizes that many Canadians continue to struggle because of higher food costs.
• The Government has made several changes to enhance key programs to improve the ability of Canadians to afford essentials, including food. This include programs such as the Canada Child Benefit, the enhanced Canada Workers Benefit, and Old Age Security. These programs are also indexed to keep pace with the cost of living.
• The Government will continue to work to help bring down the cost of groceries by implementing measures such as to strengthen competition in the grocery sector to help ensure all Canadians are able to make ends meet.

Food Banks Canada HungerCount Report
• Food Banks Canada is a national charitable organization representing the food bank community across Canada, supporting a network of 10 Provincial Associations and over 5,100 hunger relief organizations in Canada.
• Since 1997, Food Banks Canada has conducted the HungerCount which is a cross-sectional, census-type survey of most food bank agencies, organizations and programs within and outside of the Food Banks Canada network. The HungerCount provides a point in time snapshot of food bank use in Canada.
• The HungerCount survey is sent out to food banks in February of each year, and the data is collected for the month of March. March is used as the study period because it is an unexceptional month, without predictable high- or low-use patterns. This allows for usage patterns to be tracked across times.
• Other key findings from the 2024 HungerCount report indicate that:
o Single people make up 41.9% of food bank clients, down from 43.8% in 2023 and 48.1% in 2019.
o One third of food bank clients (33%) in 2024 were children, mirroring the proportion recorded in 2023 and 2019.
o Two-parent families now make up 22.8% of clients in food banks, compared to 21% in 2023 and 18.8% in 2019.
o 18.1% of food bank clients reported employment as their main source of income, higher than 16.7% in 2023 and 12.1% in 2019.
o Provincial social assistance, including provincial disability support income, is the primary source of income for nearly 40% of food bank clients.
o Close to 70% of food bank clients live in market rent housing.
o Indigenous persons represent 9% of those accessing food banks in 2024 although they represent only 5% of the general population.
o 32% of food bank clients are newcomers to Canada who have been in the country for 10 years or less.
• The report highlights that according to the latest Canadian Income Survey (CIS), 23% of the Canadian population now lives in food-insecure households, representing almost 9 million people.

• The report also emphasized that while high food inflation remained elevated in 2023 following a large increase in 2022, the relentless inflation of housing costs served to amplify the food insecurity crisis for those in the lowest income groups as rents increased by 4.6% in 2022 and by 6.5% in 2023.

The Government of Canada’s Approach to Measuring Food Insecurity

• Food insecurity is defined as the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.

• Official food insecurity indicators are derived based on responses to 18 self-reporting questions on adults’ (10 questions) and children’s (8 questions) food security experiences, which make up the Household Food Security Survey Module (HFSSM) of the Canadian Income Survey (CIS).

• The HFSSM module has been included in the annual Canadian Income Survey (CIS) since 2018. The module was also included in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) in past years.

• Three levels of food insecurity can be derived from HFSSM questions:
o ‘Marginal food insecurity’: refers to situations where a household responds affirmatively to no more than 1 question in either the adult or children questions. This level of food insecurity reflects indications of worry about running out of food and/or limited food selection due to a lack of money.

o ‘Moderate food insecurity’: requires 2-5 affirmative responses to adult questions or 2-4 affirmative responses to children questions. This level of food insecurity reflects indications of compromise in quality and/or quantity of food consumed.

o ‘Severe food insecurity’: requires 6 or more affirmative responses to adult questions or 5 or more affirmative responses to children questions. This level of food insecurity reflects indications of reduced food intake and disrupted eating patterns.

Key food insecurity statistics

The following table shows key food insecurity estimates for the 2018 and 2022 reference years. Data for 2022 is the most recent data available.

Overall Percentage and Number of Canadians Facing Food Insecurity (all levels)
2018 2022
Rate Number Rate Number
Total Population 16.8% 6,099,000 22.9% 8,689,000
Children (under 18 years) 22.2% 1,559,000 28.4% 2,100,000
Seniors (65 years and over) 8.1% 499,000 11.7% 841,000
Men 16.7% 3,022,000 22.6% 4,269,000
Women 16.8% 3,077,000 23.1% 4,420,000
Visible minority population .. .. 27.3% 3,007,000
Indigenous population (aged 15+) 28.6% 223,000 35.7% 317,000
Recent immigrants (10 years or less) (aged 15+) 22.2% 538,000 28.4% 775,000
Family Types:
Persons in couple families with children 17.9% 2,324,000 24.7% 3,329,000
Persons in lone-parent families 42.2% 674,000 43.4% 891,000
Elderly persons not in an economic family 10.4% 191,000 13.4% 249,000
Non-elderly persons not in an economic family 24.5% 1,028,000 30.5% 1,402,000
Source: Canadian Income Survey (Statistics Canada)

Federal action on food insecurity
• 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.
• 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.
• Budget 2021 committed to providing $400 million in 2021-22 (extended to 2023-24) to create a temporary Community Services Recovery Fund to help the charitable and non-profit sector adapt and modernize from the challenges faced due to the pandemic. 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 continues to work 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.
• In March 2022, a new phase of the Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF) was launched, with an investment of up to $20 million. This funding, available over the next two years, will support community-based and not-for-profit organizations in their efforts to create long-term solutions to address food security challenges.
• Also in 2022, the Government announced the Affordability Plan⁠, a suite of measures totaling $12.1 billion in new support to help make life more affordable for millions of Canadians, including enhancements to existing benefits such as the Canada Workers Benefit and Goods and Services Tax Credit, as well as new investments in dental care and housing affordability.
• Budget 2023 introduced targeted inflation relief for the most vulnerable Canadians to help support them with the cost of living, including those hardest hit by rising food prices. It introduced a one-time Grocery Rebate, providing $2.5 billion in targeted inflation relief for 11 million low- and modest-income Canadians and families. The Grocery Rebate provided eligible couples with two children with up to an extra $467; single Canadians without children with up to an extra $234; and seniors with an extra $225 on average.
• Further, Budget 2024 continued to support Canadians and build an economy that helps every generation get ahead by investing housing, affordable child care, in school food for children and lowering everyday costs.
o The Government committed $1 billion over five years in federal funding to create a National School Food Program, to provide up to 400,000 more children healthy meals.
o As well, the Government would continue to help bring down the cost of groceries by implementing measures to strengthen competition in the grocery sector, monitor grocers' work to help stabilize prices, and tackle shrinkflation to uphold the food sizes and qualities Canadians expect.
o The Government also provided $62.9 million over three years starting in 2024-25 to renew and expand the Local Food Infrastructure Fund to support community organizations across Canada to invest in local food infrastructure, with priority to be given to Indigenous and Black communities, along with other equity-deserving groups.

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