World Food Day, held each year on October 16, is a day marked by the United Nations (UN) to raise awareness on food and hunger. I recently came across this video from the UN stating “Let’s be the Zero Hunger Generation”. What does that mean to you?
Many think of hunger and poverty as a “third world” problem. It may come as a surprise, but both are a critical concern in Peterborough. Access to healthy food is a barrier to a growing number of people. Research shows that in our area, 11.5% of households are food insecure. This means that people worry about where their next meal will come from, do not have enough food or are forced to skip meals. Most shocking is the case of children. Locally, 1 in 4 households with children under 18 years face this struggle. How is this possible in Peterborough?
Every year, Ontario health units cost out a Nutritious Food Basket. The basket includes food choices from Canada’s Food Guide for making healthy meals from scratch but no extras like spices or non-food items like toothpaste.
What does food costing tells us? Food costs are increasing. (See Peterborough County-City Health Unit’s Limited Incomes Report)
People living on a fixed income or earning minimum wage do not have enough money for food after paying rent. Never mind other costs that may come up – a prescription, winter boots, fee for a school trip, toilet paper. People are forced to cut their food budget for other “must haves”. People make impossible choices. They skip a meal, mom’s make sure their kids have a school lunch and go without themselves. They may end up at a community meal or standing in line at food bank hoping to get enough food to last a couple of days.
Someone recently told me people would be astounded to know how many of us live a pay cheque away from poverty.
So what does Let’s Be the Zero Hunger Generation mean to you? Let’s think about actions we can take on World Food Day …to build a future for all. Perhaps it means supporting discussions about adequate income for everyone and more affordable housing. Or it means supporting food programs today that help people put food on the table. To me, it means we can and must do better.
This article was contributed by Carolyn Doris, a Registered Dietitian with the Peterborough County-City Health Unit.
