Food insecurity rising sharply in Edmonton, report finds

The number of people in Edmonton having difficulty keeping food on the table has been rising sharply. 

Over the last decade, food insecurity rose almost two-fold in Alberta, a new Vital Signs report has found. 

In 2011, just over 12 per cent of Albertans were food-insecure the report says. In 2022, this number rose to more than 20 per cent. 

Health Canada defines food insecurity as "inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so."

The Vital Signs report is the annual initiative by Edmonton Community Foundation and Edmonton Social Planning Council focusing on issues that are timely and important for the city. This year's report focuses on food security and life in Edmonton.

As costs of food and housing increase, and other expenses continue to rise "more people are struggling with regards to food insecurity in both Edmonton and in Alberta," said Susan Morrissey the executive director with the Edmonton Social Planning Council.

The report notes that healthy food for a year that costs $10,920 for family of four in Edmonton in 2013, costs $15,306 in 2022.

Morrissey said it's not only vulnerable people experiencing food insecurity. 

"It's everyday individuals who are actually working jobs, but maybe not making enough money to be able to afford all the costs." 

Certain demographic groups are more likely to experience food insecurity, said Nneka Otogbolu, director of strategic initiatives and equity advancement at the Edmonton Community Foundation. 

The report notes 23 per cent of BIPOC Edmontonians report difficulty accessing foods from their culture. 

Children are especially vulnerable. More than 20 per cent of Albertan children lived in food-insecure households, compared to just under 18 per cent in 2011, the report states. 

Children rely on their parents' income for food, Morrissey said and incomes have not kept up with food prices.

In low-income families, the report states, healthy food takes up 41 per cent of a monthly budget, and rent takes 54 per cent, with just five per cent left over for other expenses.