By Associate Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lisa Simon
One in five homes in Simcoe Muskoka struggle with food insecurity, which means they lack the funds necessary for safe and enough access to food. Many people and families in our society are affected by household food insecurity, a serious and escalating public health issue that affects their daily lives because they are compelled to cut back on their food budgets in order to pay for other necessities like housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, medical bills, and child care.
Living with family food vulnerability can be anything from worrying about running out of food before there is enough money to buy more to being unable to obtain a healthy diet to going hungry, skipping meals, and, in severe cases, going without food for entire days.
Numerous health issues are connected to family meal uncertainty. People who struggle with food uncertainty are more likely to suffer from a variety of serious illnesses, including diabetes and heart disease, as well as mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Additionally, they run a higher risk of infection, real wounds, and poor dental health. These health effects can last for a very long time, especially in children because they are most susceptible. In turn, medical costs and assets are severely impacted by household food insecurity.
Statistics Canada released data in 2023 demonstrating how household food uncertainty in Canada and Ontario had drastically increased over the previous few decades, during a time of unheard-of prices. In Canada, home food vulnerability is currently at its highest level in 17 years of observation. Furthermore, not all people experience the adverse consequences of inflation-related price increases. People with fixed earnings, or the lowest income workers, are in a worse situation because they lack the means to safeguard themselves against rapidly rising rates.
As more people than ever before needed these companies and existing customers needed them more frequently, rely on food bankers and generous donations has increased quickly in recent years. These programs are necessary to close the gap for those who urgently require food, but they are not intended to end individual household food insecurity, and research has shown that they have n’t decreased Canada’s rates of home hunger.
However, a substantial body of research from Canadian provinces and additional nations demonstrates that public policies that raise the earnings of low-income families may actually reduce food insecurity. All levels of government must take solution-based actions to support policies and programs that address hardship, income, and employment in order to effectively address the critical issue of home food insecurity.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit takes part in our neighborhoods ‘ active efforts to combat poverty and local food insecurity. The health system also collaborates with local governments and community organizations to help initiatives to lessen household food insecurity through efficient income and policy measures.
You have the following options for behavior as a person:
- Visit the heath unit’s website to learn more and become more aware of house food insecurity.
- Sharing important data and statistics on social media or elsewhere while speaking out and discussing household food vulnerability within personal or professional network.
- participating in neighborhood alliances or organizations that combat home food insecurity.
- Sharing your worries with the federal and provincial governments and urging them to implement sensible policy changes like increasing access to affordable housing, adjusting social assistance charges to the actual cost of living, improving rules that support work with sustainable wages, standard hours, and benefits.
We all share the true value of costly food because it harms the health of our entire community and puts more strain on our already overworked healthcare system, despite the complexity of addressing household food insecurity. Up, everyone’s health is within reach.
Explore the heath fleet’s website at smdhu for more information on the problem of household food insecurity and how it can be solved. or visit Health Connection on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p. m, or dial 705- 721 – 7520.
At the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, Dr. Lisa Simon serves as an associate health official of health. Her main responsibilities and areas of interest are child health, health equity, severe illness and injury prevention, and substance use avoidance and harm reduction.