Skip to Content

North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Logo North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Logo Print

Contact Us
  • Public Health
    Services
    • Breastfeeding Clinic
    • Community Events and Farmers Markets
    • Dental Clinic
    • Family Health Information Line
    • Food Safety Certification Training
    • Healthy Babies, Healthy Children
    • Infection Prevention and Control Investigations
    • Inspection Results and Enforcement
    • Needle Syringe Program
    • Planet Youth Nipissing
    • Prenatal Classes
    • Private Drinking Water Testing
    • The Sexual Health Clinic
    • Vaccination Clinics
    • Vaccination Records
  • Health
    Topics
    • 2SLGBTQ+
    • Air Quality
    • Alcohol
    • Animal Bites
    • Beach, Lake and Pool Water
    • Breastfeeding
    • Cancer Prevention and Screening
    • Cannabis
    • Climate Change
    • Dental Health
    • Diseases
    • Drinking Water
    • Emergencies and Being Prepared
    • Farm Fresh Eggs
    • Flu/Influenza
    • Food Safety
    • Gambling
    • Hand Hygiene
    • Healthy Aging
    • Healthy Eating
    • Heat and Humidity
    • Home Health and Safety
    • Housing and Homelessness
    • Injury Prevention
    • Intimate Partner Violence
    • Mental Health
    • Naloxone
    • Pregnancy, Infant and Child Health
    • Perfluoroalkylated Substances (PFAS)
    • Physical Activity
    • Racism
    • Radiation
    • Reducing Weight Bias
    • Sexual Health
    • Sharps
    • Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco
    • Substance Use
    • Suicide Prevention
    • Vaccinations
    • Vision Health
  • Health Professionals
    and Partners
    • Camp Providers
    • Child Cares
    • Cooling Tower Property Owners and Maintenance Operators
    • COVID-19 Healthcare Providers, Hospitals and Long-Term Care
    • Designated Officers
    • Emergency Management
    • Group Home and Shelter Administrators
    • Health Care Professionals
    • Health Care Providers COVID-19 Vaccine Information
    • Healthy Aging Resources
    • Long-Term Care and Retirement Homes
    • Maternal Child Update
    • Municipal Resources
    • Needle Syringe Programs
    • Nutrition Resources
    • Ontario Naloxone Program (ONP) Distributing Agencies and First Responders
    • Personal Service Settings
    • Report an Overdose
    • Schools
    • Teaching Kitchen
  • Community Data
    and Reports
    • Child and Youth Health Data
    • Chronic Diseases
    • Environmental Health
    • Health Behaviours
    • Indirect Impacts of COVID-19
    • Infectious Diseases
    • Injuries
    • Mortality
    • Nipissing Parry Sound Public Health Atlas
    • Oral Health
    • Population Demographics
    • Reproductive and Child Health
    • Respiratory Dashboard
    • Substance Use Harms
    • Well-being and Mental Health
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Accessibility
    • Board of Health
    • Careers and Placements
    • Contact Us
    • Interview with Isabel Churcher
    • News and Events
    • Personal Health Privacy Policy
    • Programs and Services
    • RFPs and Tenders
    • 2024-2027 Strategic Plan
Search Button

Back To Top

News Release: Food Insecurity

  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email this page Email
Email icon Back to Search

LOCAL DATA SHOWS 1 IN 7 HOUSEHOLDS ARE FOOD INSECURE BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY

One in seven households in the Nipissing and Parry Sound districts are food insecure, according to the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit (Health Unit). Food insecurity means a household does not have enough money to buy healthy food, highlighting low income as the underlying issue. Food insecurity ranges from worrying about running out of food, to relying on less healthy, lower cost foods, to skipping meals, due to financial constraints.

The 2018 Cost of Healthy Eating Report shows that it costs a local family of four $884 a month to eat a basic healthy diet. For those living with low income, after paying for food and rent there may not be enough money left for necessities such as heat, hydro, transportation, telephone, child care and other living expenses.

“Food insecurity is a serious public health problem. It greatly impacts health and well-being,” says Erin Reyce, Public Health Dietitian at the Health Unit. “Being food insecure increases the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and depression, and in turn, is associated with higher health care costs.”

She adds that income-related policy measures need to be strengthened in Ontario to reduce poverty rates, particularly social assistance. Research shows that approximately 64% of households receiving social assistance are food insecure. This demonstrates that social assistance rates are too low to protect recipients from food insecurity.

An individual who is food insecure may turn to food charity programs, such as food banks or soup kitchens, to make ends meet. While these programs are important emergency services in the community, they do not address the root of the problem, which is poverty. Research shows that food insecurity is not a result of poor budgeting or cooking skills.

Last night, the Health Unit’s Board of Health passed a resolution in support of Bill 60. This bill calls for the establishment of a social assistance research commission. This would consist of a group of experts to make recommendations on social assistance policy, including rates that reflect the real cost of living in Ontario.

For more information about food insecurity, visit our website at myhealthunit.ca/foodinsecurity

Quick Facts

  • The Health Unit monitors food affordability through the Nutritious Food Basket project. Twelve grocery stores in our district are surveyed for the cost of select food items from Canada’s Food Guide. The cost of healthy eating is then compared to local rent rates and income scenarios to determine food affordability.
  • Approximately 75% of food insecure households are not able to use food banks. Those who do use food banks are not deemed food secure.

 

- 30 -

Media Inquiries

Alex McDermid, Public Relations Specialist

P: 705-474-1400, ext. 5221 or 1-800-563-2808

E: Communications@healthunit.ca

Email iconSubscribe

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit Footer Logo

  • Website

    • About Us
    • Employment Opportunities
    • News
  • Links

    • Accessibility
    • Privacy
    • Sitemap
    • Staff Intranet
  • Resources

    Increase Contrast

Your lifetime partner in healthy living!

Copyright 2022 North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit

By GHD Digital

Browser Compatibility Notification

It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.