Grey Bruce Public Health: one in five Grey Bruce homes struggle with food insecurity
GREY-BRUCE - Food insecurity is a reality for almost one in five Grey-Bruce households, according to information collected by Grey Bruce Public Health.
Jason Weppler, a program manager with GBPH, made a presentation to the board of health during the April 26 meeting on monitoring food affordability in Grey-Bruce.
Weppler explained that food insecurity is on a continuum, including people worrying about running out of food before they can afford more, to skipping meals or eating less. It’s a serious and growing public health issue, he said.
The numbers indicate 17.5 per cent of Grey-Bruce households are food insecure (based on a three-year average between 2018 and 2020). The percentage of food insecure Ontario households in 2021 was 16.1 per cent; in 2022 it was 18.7 per cent.
Weppler told the board that food insecurity is associated with a risk of early mortality; infectious diseases; chronic diseases such as heart, high blood pressure and diabetes - and it makes managing these more difficult.
He noted people who are food insecure tend to access the health-care system more, “which comes at a cost.”
One in four children lives in a food insecure household; food insecurity in children is associated with anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, inattention and low self-esteem, all of which can negatively affect education.
In adolescents and young adults, food insecurity is associated with a greater risk of depression and suicide ideation.
Weppler noted food insecurity drops at age 65, when Canada pension and guaranteed income support kick in.
Public Health monitors food affordability using the Ontario Nutritious Food Basket – in 2023, 12 grocery stores in Grey-Bruce were surveyed on the cost of 61 food items.
What the nutritious food basket data indicates is people requiring social assistance are food insecure, Weppler said. “Social assistance is not meeting basic needs.” In Ontario, 52 per cent of households requiring any social assistance are food insecure. Weppler noted many of the people are employed – 58.6 per cent listed wages, salaries or self-employed earnings as their main source of income.
Food affordability is influenced by household income and expenses; for example, female-led single parent and lower income households are vulnerable to food insecurity. In 2022, 41.2 per cent of households with children, led by female lone parents, were food insecure.
Weppler concluded by saying, “Food insecurity is much more than hunger, and cannot be fixed by food charities.”
Board vice-chair Luke Charbonneau (mayor of Saugeen Shores) asked if the role of public health is just to monitor.
Weppler responded by saying the costing exercise is what’s required of public health. GBHU goes beyond that with healthy eating, work and income support discussions.
Dr. Ian Arra, medical officer of health said he echoed what Weppler said. GBHU “monitors and documents.” The health unit also goes a step further in raising the awareness of decision makers. “We encourage different partners to do their work on providing solutions.”
Board member Kenneth Craig (mayor of Kincardine) commented, “Food insecurity comes down to dollars and cents.”
Arra spoke briefly on guaranteed basic income programs, which show mixed results – one pilot project in Manitoba was successful, while another in Finland did not show the same success.
“We raise awareness and … advocate,” Arra said.
Board member Chris Peabody (Bruce County warden and mayor of Brockton) said, “Unfortunately, I think the situation is much more dire” than is indicated by the report. He spoke about the housing rental statistics in Brockton, where (anecdotally) rental units get renovated and appear back on the market at a “much higher price.”
He went on to say, “There is a huge gap in (Bruce) county – there is great wealth but also poverty. … Focusing on strategies for housing, I think, is the key.” That would free up more money for food.
“It strengthens my resolve to take some bold action, in Walkerton especially, on housing,” said Peabody.
Board chair Sue Carleton (mayor of Georgian Bluffs), commented on the role of public health in letting people know what nutritious food is, and said Weppler’s report had “stirred a lot of thought.”
Pauline Kerr, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Walkerton Herald Times
