Durham Region Health Department’s 2019 Nutritious Food Basket (NFB) report shows that the cost of a basic healthy diet for a family of four in Durham Region is calculated to be $861 per month or $199 per week. This represents a 9 per cent increase in food costs over the past five years.
The NFB survey is conducted annually in Durham Region to monitor food affordability. In combination with local housing costs, public health examines the NFB to determine the accessibility of a healthy diet for area residents and raise public awareness that local poverty and food insecurity rates continue to increase.
“There’s an urgent need to address the economic barriers that people living with low incomes experience in accessing a nutritious diet,” said Deborah Lay, registered dietician and public health nutritionist with Durham Region Health Department. “Aside from increasing food costs, the true issue is that incomes are too low and many individuals and families just do not have enough money to pay for their basic needs, including shelter and healthy food.”
Food Insecurity
In 2019, 14 per cent of Durham households, or approximately 66,100 area residents, were food insecure; this means they either worried about running out of food, settled for lower quality foods or missed meals altogether. Food insecurity poses serious health risks such as higher rates of diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and disproportionately higher health care use with increasing severity of food insecurity.
The current report found that a family of four consisting of two parents, ranging in age from 31 to 50 and two children – a boy 14 to 18-years old and a girl four to eight-years old – whose source of income is Ontario Works, can expect to pay 86 per cent of their income on rent and food leaving only $382 for all other monthly expenses. The amount of household spending on food and shelter is roughly three times greater for those at the lowest income level than those who fall within the Ontario average income.
Public Policy Needed
“Greater access to affordable housing could help families and individuals living in low income situations to better meet their basic living needs,” added Ms. Lay. “A public policy response targeting low household income is needed to tackle the inequity of food insecurity.”
For more information on food insecurity in Durham Region, check out the Food Poverty in Durham 2019 video on YouTube.com/durhamhealth.