HPPH Releases The Real Cost of Eating: Food Insecurity in Huron and Perth 2024

Huron Perth, ON – Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) has released its annual report, The Real Cost of Eating: Food Insecurity in Huron and Perth 2024. The report reveals that the average grocery bill for a family of four has increased to $309 per week, or $1,338 per month.

The report highlights that a family of four receiving Ontario Works would need to allocate 46 per cent of their income to meet Canada's Food Guide recommendations. ​This underscores the growing challenge of food affordability and a broader trend of increasing household food insecurity. Between 2021 and 2023 (the most recent data available) nearly 18 per cent of households in Huron Perth experienced food insecurity.

Amy MacDonald, Public Health Dietitian at HPPH, emphasizes the critical link between income and food security. “Too many families living with low income have to choose between paying rent and utilities or buying food, because there simply isn’t enough money,” she says. “It’s extremely distressing for people when they can’t afford to buy enough food. It also means they are more likely to have poorer overall health.”

The most effective way to reduce household food insecurity is to make poverty reduction a priority.  Residents can read The Real Cost of Eating: Food Insecurity in Huron and Perth 2024 to learn more about why income solutions are needed to reduce food insecurity and further support policies that address this important issue in their communities and at provincial and federal levels.

The full report is available at www.hpph.ca/reports under the Food insecurity tab.