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Nutritious food out of reach for many residents: Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit

March 6, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

With the rise in the cost of living and steadily increasing food prices, the 2024 Nutritious Food Basket (NFB) survey reveals that many residents in Simcoe Muskoka are unable to afford the basic, nutritious food necessary to meet current Canadian nutrition recommendations.

The NFB survey, conducted annually by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit tracks the cost of a basic nutritious diet in the region.

The 2024 survey revealed that it costs $1,302.77 per month for a family of four (two adults and two children) and $452.83 for a single-person household to purchase the 61 basic food items in the Nutritious Food basket. When food costs are put in the context of total income and rent is factored in, many people cannot meet their basic needs, let alone afford all the other expenses needed for daily living.

“Food affordability is a critical issue that is impacting everyone, but it is most challenging for those living on lower incomes, those who have unstable or insecure work, people who rent, single parents with kids, and those living alone,” said Vanessa Hurley, Public Health Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian at SMDHU. 

“When household income is too low, people cannot cover their basic expenses,” she explained. “A family of four receiving Ontario Works benefits would need to spend 100 percent of their income just on food and rent alone. For a single adult on Ontario Works, covering these two essentials is impossible, consuming 177 percent of their income, leaving no money for other basic needs such as utilities, transportation, clothing, medications or childcare.”

Recent data from Public Health Ontario shows a sharp increase in food insecurity in Simcoe Muskoka, with the number of households unable to afford food reaching an all-time high.

Currently, one in three households in the area experience food insecurity, almost twice as many as in 2022, and more than the provincial rate of one in four.

Food insecurity can mean buying less food or lower quality food, feeling stressed about running out of food, skipping meals or, in the most severe cases, going without food for days.

Household food insecurity is a serious public health issue with many individuals experiencing significant physical and mental health consequences. Individuals living in food-insecure households are at a higher risk of suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and depression. “When people cannot afford nutritious food, their overall health gets worse, which adds more strain to our healthcare system,” said Hurley. “Food and living costs are not only a financial burden on individuals but also contribute to higher healthcare costs, which ultimately affect the entire community.”

For more information about the NFB results, the issue of household food insecurity, actions that can be taken, and how the health unit can support you, visit the health unit’s website at smdhu.org.

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