New Brunswick food banks see increase in usage for 2019: report

Food Banks Canada’s annual report on food bank usage across the country paints a grim picture of food insecurity in New Brunswick.

The report, titled HungerCount 2019, shows national numbers holding close to 2018 data — seeing a 1.1 per cent drop in the number of visits across Canada — but New Brunswick has seen a 7.9 per cent increase.

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It’s the biggest provincial increase in the country, followed Newfoundland and Labrador seeing a 5.8 per cent jump and Ontario 4.8.

All other provinces saw decreases.

According to the data, New Brunswick saw 22,265 visits to foodbanks this year: 7,123 of those from children, making up 32.5 per cent of provincial usage — up one per cent from 2018.

Up 1.6 percent this year is the number of single adult households turning to food banks in the province.

2:02 An increased number of N.B. college students struggling to buy food

Last year, 46.3 per cent of those served by New Brunswick food banks fell into this category. In 2019, that number was up to 47.9.

That’s a 10 per cent increase in a decade; single adults represented 38 per cent of food bank users in 2010.

Food Banks Canada says this is due in part to increasing housing costs nationally and unemployment rates provincially.