PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

U of T report finds millions of Canadians still struggle to afford food

2014-02-06
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Suniya Kukaswadia
suniya.kukaswadia@utoronto.ca
416-978-7752
University of Toronto
U of T report finds millions of Canadians still struggle to afford food

Four million Canadians, including 1.15 million children, are living in households where it is sometimes a struggle to put food on the table, according to researchers at the University of Toronto.

Nearly one in eight households is impacted by food insecurity, which is defined as inadequate access to food because of financial constraints. At its mildest level, food insecurity means worrying about feeding yourself and your family before your next paycheque. As the problem gets worse, people can't afford to have balanced meals. Then they begin to skip meals, cut portion sizes and eventually go days without eating, all because they can't afford the food they need. Those impacted often face physical and emotional hardships which compromise their health.

The study was led by U of T's Valerie Tarasuk and her team at PROOF, a research project that identifies effective policy interventions to address household food insecurity. Building on a report they released last year, the team analyzed municipal data for the first time. Halifax had the highest incidence of food insecurity, with one in five households affected, followed by Moncton, Guelph and Barrie.

The report continues to chart some disturbing trends across the country. Food insecurity has persisted or grown in every province and territory since 2005; 2012 rates in Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories were the highest since Health Canada began monitoring the problem.

The team also discovered that 28 per cent of black and Aboriginal households reported some form of food insecurity — more than double the national average.

"Food insecurity takes a very real toll on people's physical and mental health. Four million Canadians are now affected and the number keeps growing. We need to act now to address this problem," says Tarasuk, a Nutritional Sciences Professor at the Faculty of Medicine.

Some key points from the report include:

There are 600,000 more Canadians affected by food insecurity now than in 2007-2008 62.2 per cent of food insecure homes are working households 70 per cent of households on social assistance are food insecure, with 29 per cent experiencing severe deprivation 45 per cent of households in Nunavut reported some level of food insecurity



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Fires in Victoria, Australia, Feb. 6, 2014

2014-02-06
Fires in and around Snowy River National Park in Victoria, Australia were captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Aqua satellite on February 06, 2014. Actively burning areas, detected ...

A microchip for metastasis

2014-02-06
Nearly 70 percent of patients with advanced breast cancer experience skeletal metastasis, in which cancer cells migrate from a primary ...

Fires in Northern Sumatra

2014-02-06
Fires dot the coast of Northern Sumatra, Indonesia, in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite image collected on February 06, 2014. The MODIS instrument is aboard the Terra satellite and actively burning ...

RNA sequencing of 750-year-old barley virus sheds new light on the Crusades

2014-02-06
Scientists have for the first time sequenced an ancient RNA genome – of a barley virus once believed to be only 150 years old - pushing its origin back at least 2,000 years and revealing how intense ...

Vanderbilt scientists contribute to finding that could lead to the first effective RSV vaccine

2014-02-06
Vanderbilt University scientists have contributed to a major finding, reported today in the journal Nature, which could lead to the first effective ...

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Edilson leaving Mauritius

2014-02-06
NASA's Terra satellite saw Tropical Cyclone Edilson pulling away from the island of Mauritius in the Southern Indian Ocean when it passed overhead on February 6, 2014. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer ...

Heart health through gut health

2014-02-06
A new study, "Effect of probiotics on biomarkers of cardiovascular disease: implications for heart-healthy diets," published in the January issue of Nutrition ...

New investigational drug holds promise for combatting deadly mucormycosis infections

2014-02-06
LOS ANGELES – (Feb. 6, 2014) – With very few treatment options available ...

Quick test finds signs of diarrheal disease

2014-02-06
Bioengineers at Rice University and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston have developed a simple, highly sensitive and efficient test for the diarrheal disease ...

A key facilitator of mRNA editing uncovered by IU researchers

2014-02-06
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Molecular biologists from Indiana University are part of a team that has identified a protein that regulates the information present ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

[Press-News.org] U of T report finds millions of Canadians still struggle to afford food