The high cost of groceries is exacerbating food insecurity in Canada, but the federal government’s new ‘grocery rebate’ doesn’t go far enough to help.
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Food insecurity is a problem of income inadequacy. The 2023 federal budget’s “grocery rebate” has the right idea, but falls short.
A change in food prices might immediately address the lack of economic access to food but will not address the root causes of food insecurity.
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More than 41 million people rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to buy their groceries. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, the program ramped up.
A charity in Westbury, Johannesburg, hands out food parcels during the COVID pandemic in 2020.
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Social grants are the largest source of support for many vulnerable groups. They are the government’s primary response to poverty, food insecurity and inequality.
Wheat prices are up 34% in two years.
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Volunteers pitch in at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Irvine, Calif. in December 2022.
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A little more than 1 in 10 Americans can’t get enough to eat – around the same share of the country that was experiencing food insecurity before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly two-thirds of suburbs in one major part of Sydney have no food stores at all. And in those that do, unhealthy food outlets outnumber healthy ones by more than six to one.
Skewed reportage on the land debate contributes to entrenching the injustices of colonialism and apartheid.
Catholic faithful stage a peaceful protest to condemn the rampant killing in Benue State, North Central of Nigeria.
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A country of plenty like Australia should be able to ensure no one is denied their right to adequate food. But food insecurity is on the rise, and we aren’t even properly monitoring the problem.
Nearly 60 per cent of Canadians are finding it difficult to provide enough food for themselves and their families.
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Inflation is driving up food prices and could have a severe impact on the health of Canadians. When the cost of food increases, it restricts the availability of nutritious foods for low-income people.
A flooded highway in Nigeria.
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Affordability is a question of political and policy priorities. If we want a fair and adequate social security system, we cannot continue cutting the resources of those who already have the least.
Food insecurity is often talked about as an issue of individual responsibility. But our research suggests most people struggling to put food on the table are not the agents of their own misfortune.
Approximately one-third of 2SLGBTQ+ young people who participated in a nutrition study noted that they did not have any support systems in place to help them with their nutritional needs during the pandemic.
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Food insecurity is a social justice issue tied to social determinants of health. Historically marginalized people like 2SLGBTQ+ youth are at risk, and more likely to be food insecure during COVID-19.
The Canadian government has proposed a plan to cut emissions from fertilizers by 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030.
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One 11-year old girl told us she knows once rent is paid, there is almost nothing left over. So she never takes school excursion notes home, in case the cost is too much.