Most people don’t think about food insecurity when they think about food in Canada. Food insecure people regularly don’t have enough to eat for themselves or their families. Canada is one of the richest countries in the world, but yet we have a food insecurity problem that needs to have a spotlight shone it.
- 58% OF ALL OF THE FOOD PRODUCED IN CANADA ENDS UP IN THE LANDFILL This figure, from Second Harvest Canada is staggering. Food is being wasted at every step from field to plate. Some crops are not harvested because there is no market for them, some is wasted in processing and transportation, some is not sold and becomes spoiled, and some is wasted by consumers. Much of this food could be rescued however. Many grocery stores are participating in Food Rescue programs which are diverting much needed resources to Community Meal Programs and Food Banks. Restaurants are donating excess supplies in much the same way. Farmers are working with community volunteers to “glean” or harvest unsold excess produce from their fields at the end of the season for food organizations to us. Individuals can also donate food items, all of which helps to reduce this number.
2. POVERTY AND THE LACK OF SAFE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING IS ONE OF PRIMARY REASONS FOR FOOD INSECURITY.
Our government says that the percentage of household income to be used on housing should be between 30 and 40%. Many food insecure people are spending upwards of 80 to 100% of their income on housing. The recent rise in housing prices combined with out-of-control rental increases is only making things worse. People are having to chose between having a roof over their heads or eating.
3. A MINIMUM GUARANTEED WAGE AND/OR A LIVING WAGE WOULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
It is interesting that during the first wave of Covid-19 when the government provided the CERB payment and demand for food banks, particularly in Bruce/Grey, was actually flat. For many people the $2,000 monthly allowance actually represented an increase in their monthly budget and they could afford to eat and pay their rent. As soon as the CERB ended, food bank use increased. See FoodBruceGrey.com for details. Minimum wage is not sufficient for people to survive on which, currently in Bruce/Grey a living wage is $18.39. Vast swaths of our population earn less than that which contributes to multi-generational poverty.
4. FOOD SPOILAGE IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO WORLDWIDE GREEN HOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
If all of the planet’s food waste was combined, the resulting green house gases released would be equivalent to the third highest green house gas emitter. Check out Second Harvest’s Food Rescue tabs for more details and statistics.
5. MOST POLITICIANS, PEOPLE, AND THE MEDIA ARE LARGELY UNAWARE OF THE SIZE AND SCOPE OF FOOD INSECURITY ISSUE.
Until NPX created FoodBruceGrey.com, there has not been a readily available, publicly accessible data source. In a 6-week period late in 2020, NPX created this tool, the first in Canada, that gives decision-makers, funders, government leaders, the media, and the public access to real data. The volunteers in the Grey/Bruce region deserve praise for contributing their data and for the service that they provide.
6. MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT FOOD INSECURE PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS.
In Grey/Bruce, more than 15,000 students utilize breakfast programs because they have not had enough or anything to eat for breakfast each day. While some of the people using food programs are homeless, the vast majority have homes but cannot afford to pay the rent and to eat at the same time.
7. MOST PEOPLE THINK THAT FOOD BANKS ARE THE SOLUTION TO FOOD INSECURITY.
Community Food Banks do excellent work; however, they are just a band-aid until we deal with the root causes of food insecurity. It is worth noting that many rural food banks limit their clients to one visit per month and usually only distribute 3- or 4-days worth of food to their clients. Community meal programs tend to feed people every day and in Bruce/Grey, the demand for meals increased 300% during the first wave of the pandemic and continues to increase. The contribution that both of these types of organizations make goes largely unnoticed because most people and politicians are unaware of their impact. It is also worth noting that the majority of food volunteers are senior citizens, perhaps the most vulnerable age demographic in the pandemic.
8. FOOD BANKS WERE ONLY MEANT TO BE TEMPORARY.
When Food Banks were created in the 1980’s, they were not meant to be something that would still being used forty years later. Unfortunately, they are needed now more than ever. Worse yet, entire infrastructures have grown around them while little has been done to address the real problems of poverty and the lack of affordable and safe housing.
9. ONLY 1 IN 4 PEOPLE WHO SHOULD USE A FOOD BANK ACTUALLY DO.
One of the biggest problems is STIGMA. Many Food Banks continue to use invasive intake forms which can drive potential clients away. Well-meaning, but judgemental volunteers can make that problem worse by failing to appreciate their client’s circumstances. Right-wing politicians who espouse “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” fail to appreciate the circumstances of food insecure people and only make clients feel more like failures because of their attitudes. Many clients do not use the food bank because of their pride and the stigma that they have about asking for help. Seniors and people who have grown up with scarcity, believe that “other people need help more than them” and don’t use food organizations despite their dire situations. Making the situation worse, in some rural centers, food banks are hardly open, some as little as once per month, and the volunteers have the attitude that signing isn’t necessary because “everyone knows where the food bank is,” despite overwhelming evidence that this isn’t true.
10. SOME POSSIBLE FOOD DONORS WORRY ABOUT LIABILITY, A FALSE ASSUMPTION THAT HINDERS FOOD RESCUES.
Ontario and many other provincial and state governments have legislation to protect donors from liability when they donate excess or unused food-to-food banks and meal programs. Making more prospective donors aware of this protection will help more rescue more food.
11. MANY POTENTIAL DONORS HAVE A PREVAILING ATTITUDE THAT 100% OF DONATIONS SHOULD BE SPENT ON PROGRAMING AND THAT ADMINISTRATION EXPENSE IS BAD – PRIVATE BUSINESS COULD NEVER OPERATE THIS WAY
Most charities and non-profit organizations rely on donations to operate their programs, including their food projects, but are handicapped by the donor expectation that any money spent on administration is somehow a waste of money. Many of the excellent people working in these organizations are as precariously employed as their clients. Many people work on month-to-month or annual contracts, which have no guarantees; all of which makes it difficult to retain good people. Long-term sustainable funding is something that simply does not exist. Private industry would never function under the same microscope that many charities and non-profits are forced to operate under daily.
12. THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “BEST BEFORE” DATES AND “EXPIRY” DATES.
One of the major causes of food wastage is that the majority of people do not understand the difference between these two terms. There are only five categories of food that actually have an expiry date: baby formula; meal replacement or supplement bars; formulated liquid diets; and foods for very low-energy diets. For all other foods, they have a “Best before Date” which many people think is actually an expiry date and it is not.
The “Best before Date” is a completely arbitrarily and unscientific date that the producer creates more for “freshness” than “safety” and it is completely unregulated by government departments. Unfortunately, most people will dispose of this food or clients at food organizations will refuse to accept this food because of this misconception.
Second Harvest has an excellent short e-learning program Second Harvest e-learning that takes only minutes, but will literally save thousands of food products from being wasted. For example: Canned goods, unless the item is dented or rusty or shows obvious signs of spoilage, this food should be “safe” to consume for up to 1 year past the BEST BEFORE DATE. Dry goods or shelf stable goods that are sealed and do not show any signs of being spoiled by rodents or insects should also be “safe” to eat for up to 1 year as well.
See Second Harvest’s excellent tool for a complete list Second Harvest Donation and Consumption Guide.
I always thought I was well informed about food and the issues facing our communities but I was shocked at my level of misunderstanding. The organizers and volunteers who run your local food banks, meal programs, and community gardens deserve our praise and our help. By becoming aware of Food Insecurity issues and the underlying causes, we all can make a difference. I encourage you to check out FoodBruceGrey.com to see a tool that your community might be able to utilize and also check out the website FoodThoughts.ca as well for simple, easy, and effective ways that you can learn about these organizations and things you can do to help alleviate the issue of food insecurity.
Thank you,