StatsCan: Food insecurity more widespread following COVID-19 pandemic
Why It Matters
The impact of the pandemic has been far-reaching. Concrete data about the effects helps policymakers create strategies that support all Canadians struggling to afford food.
Food insecurity increased significantly across Canada following the COVID-19 pandemic, spreading beyond low-income households and extending to higher-earning Canadians, a new Statistics Canada report found.
In Canada’s ten provinces, food insecurity climbed from 16.8 per cent in 2019 to 22.9 per cent in 2023, according to the report.
Statistics Canada defines food insecurity as “inadequate or insecure access to food because of financial constraints.”
The likelihood of food insecurity is highest for low-income households, but it’s becoming more prevalent among moderate- and higher-income families, showing that having a full-time job no longer guarantees food security.
By 2023, households earning half or more of their income from a job were just as likely to experience food insecurity as those earning less from work.
“This suggests an increased vulnerability among households in the workforce,” the report reads, going on to say it reflects a broader shift in affordability in Canada.
Earlier this month, Future of Good reported on the increasing number of employed Canadians who use food banks.
@futureofgood More employed-Canadians are using food banks. #foodbanks #groceries #inflation ♬ original sound – Future of Good
In Manitoba, 31 per cent of food bank users are employed, and in B.C., more than 23 per cent of users had jobs.
“It is the normalization of this situation that must be the gravest of our concerns,” Dan Huang-Taylor, the executive director of Food Banks BC, said when the findings were released.
Food prices spiked in November, according to Statistics Canada, in total rising 27 per cent between 2020 and 2025, outpacing the rate of inflation.
Canada’s Grocery Code of Conduct will begin Jan. 1 2026, which aims to create transparency around costs between grocery retailers and their suppliers.
Experts hope the code will eventually benefit consumers and help reduce food insecurity.
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