By Rebel News | Created at 2024-10-29 22:30:32 | Updated at 2024-10-30 07:28:25
1 day ago
The need for food banks continues to rise nationwide, with many at risk of running out of food. Food Banks Canada, which represents some 2,589 food banks, notes two million visits in March alone this year.
The 2024 HungerCount Report, released Monday by the charitable organization, found 30% of banks running out of food. Over half (56%) gave out less to avoid running out.
“The network [of food banks] isn’t designed to accommodate this really rapid increase in such a short period of time,” said Richard Matern, research director for Food Banks Canada and lead researcher for the report.
Though the figure fluctuated between 10% and 12% historically, the number of employed people accessing food banks broke records at 18.1% this year. Demand started rising in 2022, driven by rapid inflation, Matern claims.
Food inflation was 1.4% in April, contributing to a decrease in overall inflation to 2.7%, according to Statistics Canada. However, even low inflation indicates that prices are still rising. Over the past three years, grocery prices have increased by 21.4%, according to the agency.
“I never anticipated seeing this level of demand in my lifetime,” Carolyn Stewart, chief executive officer at Feed Ontario, told the Toronto Star. “We are at a tipping point.”
“Over the last several years,” she added, “we’ve been talking about cracks in our system and now they are gaping holes and people are unfortunately falling into them.”
Canada’s Food Price Report 2024 forecasts the average family of four is expected to spend $16,297.20 on food in 2024, up $701.79 from last year. Children under 18 make up one-third of all food-bank clients, according to Food Banks Canada.
An April 25 Agri-Food Analytics report concludes that taxpayers are not always throwing out potentially unsafe food, owing to rising costs. Nearly half (48%) of those who eat food past or nearing their best-before date are unsure of its safety, the report reads.
“Higher food prices have made all of us different risk managers at home,” said Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab (AAL). The most significant increases range from 5% to 7% in the categories of bakery, meat, and vegetables.
“There is a fine balance between food safety risk and food affordability, and higher food prices have pushed that line,” he added.
Analysts have indicated that younger generations face increasing hardship owing to inflation and rising costs for basic necessities. Many millennials have debt and mortgages, making it harder for them to afford food.
After lower-income Canadians received a one-time grocery rebate last fall, the federal government has yet to announce other measures. Privy Council research described federal measures as “insufficient” and “late.”
A recent Leger survey found that 26% of Canadians believe food inflation is mostly due to economic factors, and that it continues to worsen.
Experts cite international events like the Ukraine war as a driver of food inflation in Canada and the lesser value of the Canadian dollar compared to the U.S. dollar.
“The uncertainty from the ongoing Ukraine war shows no signs of ceasing, and the Canadian dollar compared to the US dollar has recently ranged five to seven cents lower, and this has driven up the cost of all imported American products,” said Dr. Stuart Smyth, University of Saskatchewan campus lead.
Smyth also attributed labour shortages in critical sectors, such as crop harvesting, food processing, and transportation, lower supply and drive-up prices for food inflation.
However, one in five blamed the federal government for the affordability crisis.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threatened to tax Canadian grocers last September 14 in a bid to lower costs for families nationwide.
“Large grocery chains are making record profits,” he claimed at the time. “Those profits should not be made on the backs of people struggling to feed their families.”
Parliament earlier proposed an excess profits tax on grocers, after testimony from economists and large-scale retailers at the Commons agriculture committee. Grocers denied profiteering on food inflation, while economists had varied opinions.
On April 30, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters his government remained concerned about grocery prices. “Affordability is front and centre in everything we are doing,” he said at the time.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
