Fact of the Day

Food insecurity in Canada is “a serious social and public health problem,” says a new report that found nearly one in eight Canadian households couldn’t access sufficient, safe and nutritious food in 2011.

The study said 3.9 million Canadians were affected and the 330,000 households that were “severely food insecure” were worried they would run out of food before being able to afford more.

In New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, one in four children were living in a home where the family struggled to put food on the table – and the long-term consequences will burden Canada’s health-care system.

“It’s toxic to human health,” University of Toronto professor Valerie Tarasuk AND  lead author of the study said.“By the time they’re teenagers and young adults, they’re more likely to be diagnosed with a whole range of health problems,”