Nutritious diets unaffordable for many B.C. families and those with low income: BCCDC
The struggle to keep up with our province's sky-high cost of living is being highlighted in a new report from the BC Centre for Disease Control.
Nutritious diets are unaffordable for many B.C. families and people with low-incomes, the findings show.
The Food Costing in BC 2022 report assesses the affordability of healthy eating for British Columbians.
It found that the average monthly cost of a nutritious diet for a family of four in B.C. in May and June 2022 was $1,263.
“Food insecurity is a significant public health issue,” said Dr. Geoff McKee, medical director of population and public health at the BCCDC.
“The price of food does not affect everyone equally and the root cause of household food insecurity is low incomes,” McKee wrote in the report. .
The BCCDC typically issues a report every two years, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first food costing report since 2017.
The study researches the cost of 61 food items at grocery stores in different parts of the province.
The average monthly costs last year in the five regional health authorities ranged from $1,193 for Fraser Health to $1,366 for Island Health.
The report showed many people who live on low incomes—and especially those why rely on income or disability assistance—cannot afford a nutritious diet after paying rent.
About four per cent of people in B.C. experience severe food insecurity.
That means missing meals, reducing intake, or not eating for a day or more at a time.
Nearly 15 per cent of British Columbians struggle to put food on the table.
“Household food insecurity takes a major toll on people's physical and mental health, social and emotional wellbeing, and on our provincial health care system,” said Dr. Charmaine Enns, the medical health officer of Island Health.
Children and youth without consistent access to healthy food may experience an increased risk of anemia, lower nutrient intake, asthma and hospitalization.
They also have poorer academic outcomes and social skills.
Adults living in food insecure households report higher rates of chronic disease, including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
“It can also lead to symptoms of anxiety, sleep disturbance, social isolation and depression,” reads the report.
Studies have found that health care costs are up to 76 per cent higher for food insecure adults compared to those with sufficient access to healthy food.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.