The cost of feeding a family in the capital has risen more than 20 percent during the pandemic, according to a new study from Ottawa Public Health.
It costs at least $1,088 a month to feed healthy meals to a family of four in the city, up from $901 in 2019, says Ottawa Public Health’s 2022 Nutritious Food Basket Survey.
For those living on financial assistance from Ontario Works, or for single people living on income from the Ontario Disability Support Program, paying for items like fruits and vegetables means going into debt, according to the report.
The researchers analyzed 61 nutritious foods from various categories and tracked their prices in 14 stores in Ottawa, 12 in urban areas and two in rural areas of the city, between May 17 and June 6, 2022.
The foods were selected using the updated Canadian Dietary Guide and covered four categories: vegetables and fruits, protein foods, whole grains, and fats and oils. The study did not include baby foods, processed foods, or allergen-free foods.
This year’s study is the first since 2019. Ottawa Public Health suspended the survey in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
“Survey results consistently show that individuals and families living on fixed or low incomes do not have sufficient funds at the end of the month to pay their bills while also putting healthy food on the table,” the 2022 study found. .
“Families often choose between paying for fixed expenses (such as rent and utilities), other necessities (such as clothing, child care, medications, transportation, and dental care), and buying groceries.”
About one in seven households in Ottawa cannot afford healthy food, according to the report. Those households often face related challenges, such as poor mental health, chronic health conditions and higher rates of infection, poor dental health and injuries, according to the study.
Public health officials made a series of recommendations to make food more affordable. The agency calls for more welfare benefits, jobs that pay a living wage, a basic income, affordable housing, public child care, as well as reduced income taxes for low-income families.
Public health officials also recommend free tax filing support in the city.
