Food Security Now: Empowering Communities to Fight with Localized Data

By Anthony Musiwa

Imagine waking up every day unsure if you can afford your next meal. This is the reality for one in four people in Canada.

Food insecurity is when people worry about eating, compromise on the quantity and quality of their groceries, and/or go without food due to financial constraints (Li et al., 2023).  A precarious job market and an outdated social safety net make it hard to meet basic needs such as getting enough food. This crisis is escalating in Canada.

In 2023, 8.7 million people across the country experienced food insecurity—a 26 percent increase from 2022. This number doesn’t include people in the Territories, on reserves, in institutions, or in very remote areas. We know these groups have much higher food insecurity rates.

From our work with 350+ community food organizations across Canada, we’re constantly hearing stories about the stress many are facing daily. As our partners navigate these challenges with limited resources, CFCC provides core funding and grants to support their programs and food access initiatives. This financial support enables local organizations to continue their essential work. However, rising costs make it increasingly difficult to keep up. While we strive to provide stability and explore new opportunities, the need for a sustainable solution is more pressing than ever.

For instance, in 2023, The Depot Community Food Centre in Montreal distributed 20,000 emergency food baskets—double the amount in 2022. Despite raising their budget by $500,000, the organization had to turn away clients for the first time since 1986. And they had to do the same in 2024.

One organization in Guelph, Hope House, is seeing client numbers it has never seen before. For the first time in its history, the organization is considering a wait list for clients.

But ultimately, one fact is clear: food insecurity in Canada is a problem of poverty. Indigenous and racialized communities face deep social inequalities and systemic discrimination which further compound their experience of food insecurity.  Whenever people say they can’t afford food, we know they are already experiencing problems meeting other basic needs. Food is the first thing people cut from their budgets to prioritize paying their rent or mortgage or buying medications.

Canada must do better.

Digging deeper, by the riding

This pervasive crisis is why Community Food Centres Canada (CFCC) created Food Security Now.

The easily-searchable data  highlights the poverty, food insecurity, and housing unaffordability in each federal riding in Canada. This tool aims to inform community members and their elected officials. It helps them understand local issues and to advocate for solutions.

This information includes:

• Poverty estimates by demographics like Indigeneity, disability, and race. This shows which groups are most affected by poverty and food insecurity in a riding.
• Poverty estimates by income. The data demonstrates how poverty and food insecurity impact households with low incomes in a riding.
• Poverty rates by housing characteristics, such as housing type and social assistance rates. This highlights the links between housing costs, poverty, and food insecurity in a riding.

Food Security Now also has an Email Your MP function. This allows people to email their federal elected officials to highlight food insecurity and poverty in their ridings and call for effective income and social policies. People who visit the site can also share the information from Food Security Now with their Facebook and LinkedIn networks to raise awareness.

Our ongoing advocacy

In addition to providing various support to our partners, pushing for national changes to reduce food insecurity and poverty is a priority. At Community Food Centres Canada, our goal is to develop policy solutions and build local advocacy. Our top asks to the federal government include:

1. Commit to reducing food insecurity by 50% and eliminating severe food insecurity by 2030, relative to 2021 levels.
2. Create dignified income support programs to support people aged 18 to 64 living in households experiencing food insecurity and poverty.
3. Expand the Canada Disability Benefit to reduce food insecurity and poverty among all people with disabilities.
4. Enhance Employment Insurance to support all workers.
5. Ensure equitable access to federal income and social programs.
6. Honour and strengthen Indigenous and Black food sovereignty.

We believe in a country where everyone has the right to food, and every community should have a place for food that nurtures health, belonging, and social justice.

To learn more about our policy solutions and advocacy work, visit our Poverty Action Unit webpage or contact us at pau@cfccanada.ca.

Anthony Musiwa is Senior Policy Advisor, Poverty Action Unit, Community Food Centres Canada.