Report: Food is “ground zero” for Canada’s social problems

A report issued Oct. 1 by the Community Foundations of Canada, which notes that 57 per cent of children in Nunavut live in food insecure families, said food is at the “epicentre” of poverty and health in Canada.

A report by a national network of community-based charitable organizations and their backers reports that “food is at the epicenter” of the country’s hunger, poverty and health problems.

The report was issued Oct. 1 by the Community Foundations of Canada.

“Our most challenging problems are landing at kitchen tables across Canada. Food is the intersection point, the place where we all feel the impact of these big issues in a very personal way,” Ian Bird, president of the CFC, said in a news release.

The CFC said food prices rose 19 per cent across Canada between 2007 and 2012, twice as much as other goods and services measured by the Consumer Price Index.

The report also noted that Nunavut residents spend an average of $14,815 per year on food per resident, double the national average of $7,262.

And the report also noted Nunavut suffers from the highest prevalence of children living in food insecure households: 56.5 per cent.

Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick are next at 27 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.

The report is available here.