Foods and beverages with little to no added sodium and saturated fat and little to no sugar are considered healthy and nutritious food choices. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

food insecurity

Island Health families facing the highest cost of nutritional food in B.C.

May 30, 2023 | 5:25 AM

NANAIMO — When it comes to the high cost of food negatively impacting households, those in the Island Health region are struggling the most.

According to a new report from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the average monthly cost for healthy, nutritious groceries in 2022 for a family of four in B.C. was $1,263, with Island Health topping the list at $1,366 for all health authorities.

Medical health officer Dr. Charmaine Enns said while the cost of food has gone up for everybody, it’s not a proportionate increase, meaning certain populations are getting hit harder.

“For some folks, they actually aren’t able to afford nutritious food right now, and those folks are specially identified in single-parents, people living with disabilities, and just generally lower-income households.”

Food security is defined as our ability to afford acceptable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food.

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She said rural and remote communities are hit hardest by the rising cost of food.

“This (report) represents the larger communities, small urban centres, urban centres, maybe some larger towns, but it doesn’t reflect what’s happening in our rural/remote across the province. We all know the costs are higher in rural/remote communities.”

The study also found that healthcare costs are up to 76 per cent higher for food-insecure adults compared to those with sufficient access to healthy foods.

Enns said those who do not have access to regular healthy food carry a larger burden of chronic, physical, and mental health issues than the general population.

“They have higher rates of infectious disease and communicable disease episodes. They have a lower life expectancy than the rest of the population, and they’re more likely to access and need health care services…which also impacts whole families.”

She said tackling these challenging issues isn’t easy and there is no one fix-all solution.

“Much of those challenges of people having to make those hard decisions which really comes down to the amount of income people have coming into their household. Those are the bigger picture pieces, but I just don’t want to oversimplify what it means to tackle this problem.”

Young children and infants are the most vulnerable to food insecurity and experience a risk of multiple health issues such as anaemia, lower nutrient intake, asthma, and hospitalization, as well as poorer academic outcomes, social skills, and a higher risk of depression.

Food costing in B.C. is usually conducted every two years; however, this is the first report since 2017 due to pandemic-related delays.

–with files from Jon de Roo, 97.3 The Eagle

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow