Number and percentage of persons based on the level of household food insecurity, by age group and sex, for 2004 only.

Number and percentage of persons by household food security status and economic family type, Canada and provinces.

Household food insecurity, by age group and sex, Canada, provinces, territories, health regions (2013 boundaries) and peer groups.

Number and percentage of persons by household food security status, age group, sex, visible minority group, Indigenous group and immigration status, Canada and provinces.

Alberta was the Canadian province with the highest level of severe food insecurity in 2021. Of all Albertan households, *** percent experienced severe food insecurity. Additionally, *** and *** percent of Albertan households experienced moderate and marginal food insecurity, respectively.

Indigenous people in Canada are most affected by severe food insecurity. With *** percent of all indigenous people experiencing severe food insecurity, this ethnicity leads all others by *** percentage points in this category. Furthermore, the group is also the overall least food-secure group at **** percent.

Older individuals in Canada are less likely than their younger counterparts to experience any form of food insecurity. Only *** percent of those 75 years and older experienced severe food insecurity in 2021. Children between *** and 11 years of age are most likely to experience any food insecurity.

Household food insecurity measures, by presence of children in the household, Canada, provinces and territories.

Eradicating household food insecurity is essential to the articulated vision of a national food policy that aims to promote healthy living and safe food for families across the country. Household food insecurity refers to the insecure or inadequate access to food due to financial constraints. Despite federal commitments to improve the situation, food insecurity in Canada increased between 2007-08 and 2011-12. It currently affects more than four million Canadians, and is particularly grave in Indigenous communities. Food insecurity takes a toll on individuals’ health and well-being, and it is a burden on our healthcare system. The social epidemiology of household food insecurity shows it to be inextricably linked to the social and economic circumstances of households. Federal and provincial policy interventions that improve the financial circumstances of very low income households have yielded reductions of up to 50 percent in household food insecurity prevalence and severity. Yet, prevalence rates remain high. A national food policy represents an invaluable opportunity to address food insecurity in Canada. To do so, this policy must transcend the conventional boundaries of agriculture and agri-food. Addressing food insecurity requires the integration of policy actions across the three levels of government. In addition, performance targets must be established, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms implemented, to ensure that policies and programs meant to address food insecurity actually have a meaningful impact.

🇨🇦 Canada English Household food insecurity, by age group and sex, Canada, provinces, territories, health regions (2013 boundaries) and peer groups.

Canada CA: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data was reported at 1.000 % in 2020. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.900 % for 2019. Canada CA: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data is updated yearly, averaging 0.650 % from Dec 2015 (Median) to 2020, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.000 % in 2020 and a record low of 0.600 % in 2017. Canada CA: Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. The percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as severely food insecure. A household is classified as severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to several of the most severe experiences described in the FIES questions, such as to have been forced to reduce the quantity of the food, to have skipped meals, having gone hungry, or having to go for a whole day without eating because of a lack of money or other resources.;Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);;

Number and percentage of persons based on the level of household food insecurity, by age group and sex, for 2004 only.

Household food security status, by living arrangement, Canada, provinces and territories.

Household food insecurity measures, by living arrangement, Canada, provinces and territories.

Household characteristics of food insecure and secure children in Ontario, Canada.

Baseline characteristics of food insecure and secure children in Ontario, Canada.

🇨🇦 Canada

This paper reports on qualitative research concerning community-based organizational responses to infant formula needs due to household food insecurity. It explores this topic against the backdrop of neo-liberal social welfare approaches that shape gendered food work within food insecurity households, as well as current state approaches to infant feeding policy targeted to vulnerable populations. Based on telephone interviews with a random sample of organizations across Canada (N=26) in 2016, this paper details typical responses to infant food insecurity within a sample of family resource projects with funding from the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program, as well as typical responses from a sample of food banks. Results demonstrate that neither state nor community organizations adequately respond to infant food insecurity. This leads to serious problems of unequal access, potential food risk, and food injustice that are imposed on mothers and formula-fed infants when mothers are forced into situations of pathologized foraging to find formula. This paper argues that infant food insecurity is the result of a succession of public policy failures that are best addressed with a reflexive, feminist, food justice approach.

Canada CA: Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data was reported at 7.700 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.500 % for 2020. Canada CA: Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data is updated yearly, averaging 5.800 % from Dec 2017 (Median) to 2021, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.700 % in 2021 and a record low of 5.000 % in 2017. Canada CA: Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Population: % of population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. The percentage of people in the population who live in households classified as moderately or severely food insecure. A household is classified as moderately or severely food insecure when at least one adult in the household has reported to have been exposed, at times during the year, to low quality diets and might have been forced to also reduce the quantity of food they would normally eat because of a lack of money or other resources.;Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);;

BackgroundA pervasive and persistent finding is the health disadvantage experienced by those in food insecure households. While clear associations have been identified between food insecurity and diabetes risk factors, less is known about the relationship between food insecurity and incident type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between household food insecurity and the future development of type 2 diabetes.MethodsWe used data from Ontario adult respondents to the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey, linked to health administrative data (n = 4,739). Food insecurity was assessed with the Household Food Security Survey Module and incident type 2 diabetes cases were identified by the Ontario Diabetes Database. Multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for type 2 diabetes as a function of food insecurity.ResultsCanadians in food insecure households had more than 2 times the risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those in food secure households [HR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.17–4.94]. Additional adjustment for BMI attenuated the association between food insecurity and type 2 diabetes [HR = 2.08, 95% CI = 0.99, 4.36].ConclusionsOur findings indicate that food insecurity is independently associated with increased diabetes risk, even after adjustment for a broad set of measured confounders. Examining diabetes risk from a broader perspective, including a comprehensive understanding of socioeconomic and biological pathways is paramount for informing policies and interventions aimed at mitigating the future burden of type 2 diabetes.