A new study by public health officials reports that nearly one in five Peterborough area households has faced food insecurity over the past three years.
On Monday, Peterborough Public Health released its 2023 Addressing Food Insecurity in Peterborough which focuses on the challenge households have in purchasing or accessing health food due to financial constraints.
“Someone who is food insecure worries about running out of money for food,” the health unit explains.
The report determined that 19 per cent of Peterborough City and County households faced food insecurity between 2020 and 2022 — the highest number ever recorded in the area.
“It is no secret that the cost of food has gone up,” said Lauren Kennedy, a health unit registered dietitian. “Many people are really struggling to afford food, a basic human need. No one should have to choose between shelter or food, but this is a reality that is negatively impacting their physical and mental health.”
The report notes household food insecurity was a problem before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, but that it “has gotten worse.”
The report notes the cost of food has risen 11 per cent and increased an additional six per cent from September 2022 to September 2023.
“Incomes have not increased enough to match inflation or the increasing costs of food, housing and other basic needs,” the report states.
The health unit says household food insecurity can have negative, long-lasting impacts on one’s health and well-being, especially for children.
“It is linked with adverse childhood experiences, and may be a source of toxic stress, which can affect brain development in children,” the report states. “Toxic stress can have long-term consequences for learning behaviour, and both physical and mental health.”
The health unit’s study also notes that renters are more likely to be food insecure than homeowners. Owners with mortgages are more vulnerable to food insecurity than those who are mortgage-free.
Rising housing costs are forcing people with limited incomes to choose between paying rent and other basics such as food, the report states.
In October, the United Way Peterborough and District released its housing market report, which showed rental prices continue to rise in the region but workers’ wages remain unchanged. At 1.1. per cent, the Peterborough Census Metropolitan Area vacancy rate is the lowest in Ontario for the second year in a row. Newly vacant apartment rents were 19 per cent higher than the rent of occupied units
“Housing and food are basic needs. We need both to be healthy, and to thrive,” the health unit stated. “But concerningly, the lowest income households in our community have very limited access to rental stock. Alarmingly, the housing crisis in Peterborough has become worse in 2023 than it was in 2022.”
Fixing the problem
The health unit’s report notes income solutions “address the root of the problem” of household food insecurity.
They also recommend a basic income, lowering income tax rates for the lowest-income households and increasing rates for social assistance, benefits, minimum wage and targeted benefits that match the cost of living such as disability and child benefits for low-income families.