One in eight households in Simcoe County and Muskoka – roughly 70,000 people – don’t have sufficient income to support a basic healthy diet, according to the local health unit.
Within that group, the health unit says, 1,500 children are going to bed or school hungry, often on a daily basis.
“This is a serious public health problem in Ontario and Simcoe Muskoka,” the health unit’s public health nutritionist, Vanessa Hurley, said in a statement.
“Children who go to school hungry may not reach their learning potential. Children who are food insecure experience more asthma and depression.”
According to the health unit, the monthly cost to feed a family of four increased by about eight per cent from 2018 to 2019.
A single adult receiving Ontario Works benefits is spending 139 per cent of their income on food and rent, the health unit says, while a family of four on the provincial assistance plan is spending 89 per cent of their income on food and rent.
Hurley said food insecurity is more than just being short on cash.
“By the time people are experiencing food insecurity, they have not only run out of cash but have tapped out other income sources,” Hurley said.
“They have borrowed from others, used up credit, sold off valuables, moved to cheaper accommodations, delayed paying bills, etc. to get money for food.”
According to the health unit, food insecurity may add to stress and isolation and can increase the risk of negative pregnancy and birth outcomes.