Grey Bruce Public Health received a report that shows a growing number of people in the region are experiencing food insecurity.
Health Promotion Team Manager Jason Weppler says that food insecurity can include people worrying about being able to afford food, running out of food before they are able to buy more, and eating less or skipping meals because they don’t have enough money. He explains that these experiences can be classified as being marginally, moderately, or severely food insecure.
He says that food insecurity can also lead to other issues, ranging from anxiety and depression to binge eating and other eating disorder behaviours.
Statistics show that adults living in food-insecure households account for 1 in 3 mental health-related hospitalizations.
Weppler says that children are also affected by food insecurity, not just their parents.
“Food insecurity doesn’t just affect adults, it also affects our children. So we know that one in four children live in a food insecure household.”
The mental health impacts felt by children are often anxiety, depression, and inattention, which take a toll on their ability to focus and learn at school.
Weppler adds that teens and young adults are at greater risk of depression and suicidal ideation when they don’t have access to enough food.
On a more positive note, Weppler says that the risk of being food insecure drops after the age of 65, because of the basic income that many seniors have access to through pensions and guaranteed income supports.
He says that food insecurity is a financial issue, and it can’t be solved simply by supporting food-related charities.
“Food insecurity is a marker of material depravation, and is tightly linked to low income, limited assets, debt, and other indicators of social and economic disadvantage.”
Weppler says that there are several things that the province can do to help fight food insecurity, establishing a research commission to determine evidence-based social assistance rates, looking at a defining disability for ODSP that includes both episodic and short-term disabilities, committing to analysis and race-based food insecurity data, including Indigenous and racialized communities, and continuing the ongoing monitoring of food affordability.
The report shows that food insecurity appears to be a worsening trend in the province. In 2021, 16.1% of households experienced food insecurity. That number increased to 18.7% in 2022.
17.5% of households in Grey Bruce are considered to be food insecure.