Brief - Food Security - What is said in the Food Policy for Canada

FINAL EN_Brief - Food Security Brief Food Security What is said in the Food Policy for Canada The idea of “food security” is a central part of the Food Policy’s vision for “All people in Canada are able to access a sucient amount of safe, nutritious, and culturally diverse food. [...] Household food insecurity is defined and conceptualized in Canada as the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.  “Improved health status of Canadians related to food consumption and reduced burden of diet-related disease, particularly among groups at higher risk of food insecurity” is one of the priority outcomes identified. [...] While not part of Budget 2019, the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic included $330 million for the Emergency Food Security Fund, “new funding for Canadian food banks, food rescue organizations, and other assistance providers to improve access to food for people experiencing food insecurity”, and $50 million for the Surplus Food Rescue Program, “new funding for organizations ad. [...] There have been various measures at the federal, provincial, and territorial levels to mitigate the eects of rising costs of living, particularly for low-income households, but given the small scale and short-term nature of these interventions, they are unlikely to yield meaningful, sustained reductions in the prevalence of household food insecurity.  A Working Group of the Canadian Food Policy Ad. [...] All of the evidence from research on food insecurity data points to the need to improve the adequacy and stability of incomes for low- income households (PROOF).  A renewal of the 2023 Food Policy should continue towards a whole-of-government approach and build upon existing relationships established between AAFC, ESDC, and Health Canada through the 2019 Food Policy.