A poll conducted just over three months ago suggests that more Canadians are grappling with rising food costs and food bank use is on the rise in Canada.
As prices for staples such as pasta, bread and meat rise, a survey by Food Banks Canada shows rising hunger and food insecurity across the country, with low -income Canadians being the poorest. which is hit by inflation.
The Mainstreet Research survey shows that nearly a quarter of Canadians said they eat less than they should because they don’t have enough money for food.
Additionally, one in five Canadians reported experiencing hunger at least once between March 2020 and March 2022.
Food Banks Canada CEO Kirstin Beardsley said most food banks have reached their limits and this summer is expected to be the hardest in the organization’s 41-year history.
Food banks in most parts of Canada are experiencing an influx of first -time visitors, a number that has risen to 25% in some areas.as Ms Beardsley wrote in a statement.
” Canadians tell us they are running out of money to eat because of rising prices for housing, gas, energy and food. “
According to Statistics Canada, consumers paid 9.7% more for food in stores in April compared to a year ago, the biggest increase since September 1981.
The federal agency said pasta prices rose 19.6% year-on-year, grain products 13.9%, bread 12.2% and the cost of fresh fruit was 10%. %.
Mainstreet Research’s automated telephone interview survey interviewed 4,009 adults from Feb. 25 to March 2.
The Canadian Press
Source: Radio-Canada
