New statistics showing increased food bank usage across Ontario have given us all food for thought about the alarming food insecurity crisis.
This year’s report from Feed Ontario shows that over one million people visited food banks in the past year, resulting a total of 7.6 million visits. These numbers continue the upward trend of food bank use since the last eight years.
With the cost-of-living on a rampant rise, necessities are becoming more unaffordable than ever. For some, this means sacrificing meals to pay for rent or education—for others, it means opting for the convenient, less healthy option.
The issue isn’t necessarily the volume of food going around, but the barriers to accessing food, which often go unnoticed. Further, a lack of understanding about food banks and misconceptions about those who use them keep us in the dark about the impacts of food insecurity in Canada.
Food banks aren’t free-for-alls handing out whatever people desire to fill their kitchens. Those who use food banks must be qualified to do so and receive specific items to temporarily supplement their household. The organizations consider criteria such as one’s family size, income, and other living expenses.
Visiting a food bank is easier said than done. People may resort to other ways before garnering the courage and humility to ask for assistance.
It should be clear that food insecurity isn’t exclusively linked to poverty or unemployment. In this economy, having a job and being able to pay for other things doesn’t mean that food on the table is guaranteed.
Additionally, a large portion of food banks rely on donations. With costs of groceries, especially in big box stores, rising beyond our comprehension, people aren’t exactly to blame when they don’t have items to spare for the local food drive. It’s hard to share the wealth when you’re barely getting by.
Meanwhile, celebrities like the Kardashians and Jenners flaunt their excessively stocked pantries or dedicated fridges for energy drinks over social media. Their excessive collections aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re a display of wealth that detaches food from its most basic function—a human necessity, a human right.
It’s hard to see so much food going around and going to waste, but never making it to the tables of those who need it most.
But there are ways to help the situation. The responsibility of managing food scarcity and insecurity must shift into the hands of the government for systemic change to take place. Let’s face it: food banks aren’t a sustainable solution to keep hunger and inaccessibility to groceries at bay.
The Ontario government puts more effort in making booze more accessible when accessibility to food products more obviously requires intervention.
Additionally, across the province, grocery stores, restaurants, food outlets, and university dining halls all participate in a culture of food waste. Perfectly fine food that isn’t sold or eaten by the end of the day rarely gets picked up by charities, and instead heads straight for the landfill.
There’s existing potential to navigate food insecurity so food banks don’t keep working alone. Corporations need incentives from the government to act, and it’s up to us to apply pressure on the government to make these changes.
—Journal Editorial Board
Tags
affordability, food banks, food insecurity
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