EOHU warns against food insecurity amid rising costs

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By Nick Seebruch
EOHU warns against food insecurity amid rising costs
Carly Sheil. Flickr.

CORNWALL, Ontario – The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is warning against food insecurity in Cornwall and the United Counties of SD&G. They are warning that the cost of nutritious food in the region has risen by nine per cent over the past year.

“These costs keep increasing every year, and because of the cost of housing and inadequate income, many people and families are struggling every month to meet the needs of their household,” says Nikolas Hotte, Manager of the Chronic Disease Prevention program.

According to the EOHU, it now costs $919 a month to feed a family of four nutritious meals. Food insecurity is defined by the EOHU as not having enough money to buy food and they claim that one-in-seven households in Eastern Ontario meet this criteria.

“Food insecurity is a serious public health problem that impacts physical, mental and social health,” says Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health at the EOHU. To learn more about food insecurity, visit the “No Money for Food is… Cent$less” website at www.odph.ca/centsless.

The EOHU states that:

“Every year, the EOHU along with all health units in Ontario, completes the costing of 67 food items to estimate the basic cost of healthy eating for individuals and households. The data collected in the Nutritious Food Basket survey is used to monitor both the affordability and accessibility of foods by comparing the cost of a nutritious food basket to individual and household incomes.”

To find out more about food insecurity in Eastern Ontario, call the EOHU at 613-933-1375 or at 1 800 267-7120. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

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