It’s a grim statistic.
More than one in four households, and as many as one in three children, are living with “food insecurity” in Renfrew County and area, according to the latest figures from the local health unit.
The Renfrew County and District Health Unit uses the “nutritious food basket” (NFB) to monitor “food affordability” across the region each year.
In its latest report for 2024, the health unit says 28.9 per cent of households are “food insecure” – more than one in four – as compared to one in six in 2023 and one in seven in 2022.
The health unit says “food insecurity” occurs when a person is “not able to consistently access safe and nutritious food because of limited finances.”
“When incomes are low, people may have to choose between paying for food or paying for other necessities, like housing and utilities.
“Food insecurity can range from worrying about having enough to eat (marginal food insecurity) to not eating for entire days (severe food insecurity).”
Each year, RCDHU staff visit nine local grocery stores and collect prices for the same 61 food items.
Food costs are then combined with housing rental rates and compared to various income situations to determine the local affordability of food…
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