Food security

A Sikh family prepares a meal together.
An open kitchen cupboard with mostly bare shelves.

Food insecurity

Food insecurity means not having enough money to afford food. While there may be other ways to access food—such as food charities—these supports are often stigmatizing and do not address the root cause of food insecurity: a lack of income. [1] [2]

Many people in our community cannot afford enough food to feed themselves and their families
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Many people in our community cannot afford enough food to feed themselves and their families

Low incomes and high living costs make it hard to afford nutritious food on top of other basic needs, like rent, clothing, and transportation.

An icon array shows the proportion of households in Guelph, Wellington County, and Dufferin County that were food insecure in 2023. For a full description of the graph, refer to the “Read graph as text” section.
In 2023, 1 in 4 households in Guelph, Wellington County, and Dufferin County did not have enough money to afford food to meet their needs. That’s at least one household on every residential street. An icon array shows the proportion of households in Guelph, Wellington County, and Dufferin County that were food insecure in 2023. Four houses are pictured in a row: one is bright purple (representing the proportion of households that were food insecure) and three are pale grey. Source: Public Health Ontario
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Cost of food

The cost of nutritious food to meet recommended intakes is measured each year by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. Food costs are gathered from a sample of grocery stores in Guelph, Wellington County, and Dufferin County. [1] 

In 2024, the monthly cost of nutritious food for a family of four was $1,366. [1]

Households in our community living with low income are most impacted by high food costs
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Households in our community living with low income are most impacted by high food costs

Households living with low income need to spend much more of their overall income to afford nutritious food. There may not be enough left over to pay for other basic needs, such as housing. 

A bar graph shows the monthly income and income needed to afford nutritious food for a family of four in Guelph, Wellington County, and Dufferin County in 2024. For a full description of the graph, refer to the “Read graph as text” section.
In 2024, the monthly cost of nutritious food for a family of four was $1,366. For families living with low income, not much money would be left to pay for other basic needs. A bar graph shows the monthly income and income needed to afford nutritious food for a family of four in Guelph, Wellington County, and Dufferin County in 2024. The y-axis shows the family’s income source, and the x-axis shows the family’s income and amount of income needed to afford nutritious food. Families with a median Ontario income (after tax) have the highest income, followed by families with one full-time minimum wage earner then families receiving financial support from Ontario Works. Families with a median income have the most income remaining after paying for nutritious food while families receiving financial support have the least. Source: Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
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References

  1. Dietitians of Canada. (2024). Dietitians of Canada position statement on household food insecurity in Canada. 
  2. Food Insecurity Policy Research (PROOF). (2022, October 13). Food insecurity: A problem of inadequate income, not solved by food. 
  1. Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. (2024). Monitoring food affordability 2024 report. 
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Data sources

Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). (2024). Household food insecurity snapshot. Retrieved December 6, 2024. 

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. (2024). Monitoring food affordability 2024 report. 

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