New GBPH report shows one in five households are food insecure

A file image of someone grocery shopping.

Grey Bruce Public Health (GBPH) has released a report on food affordability that calls attention to the struggles many Grey-Bruce households face to afford basic living expenses as incomes and social assistance rates fail to keep pace with rising costs.

The new report is based on local food cost data collected by Public Health in 2024.

According to the report, the cost of groceries for a family of four in Grey-Bruce in 2024 was $289 a week or $1,250 a month, representing a 1per cent increase from 2023.

A single adult, meanwhile, must spend about $434 a month on food to meet Canada’s Food Guide recommendations, which is also a 1 per cent increase from 2023.

Their findings show that individuals on Ontario Works are unable afford housing and food, as more than 100 per cent of their income is required for housing alone, with nothing left to cover monthly food expenses.

“The data collected for our annual Cost of Eating Well report clearly shows – as was the case in 2023 – that our social safety net is failing to meet basic, essential needs of housing and food,” said Public Health Manager Jason Weppler. “While the local grocery data indicates a slowing of food inflation compared to previous years, we know many households are continuing to feel the strain of a rising cost of living, including costs related to rent.”

According to the report, almost one in five households in Grey-Bruce are food insecure. In 2023, 24.5 per cent of Ontario households lived with food insecurity, well above the 16.1 per cent of Ontario households that experienced food insecurity in 2021.