The numbers are in for 2017's Nutritious Food Basket.
Staff at the Windsor Essex County Health Unit hit grocery stores for two-weeks last May to price out 67 healthy options for a family of four — it worked out to be $196.28 each week.
Public Health Nutritionist Karen Bellemore says — even though costs are slightly down from 2016 — high food prices create food-insecurity among residents and make choosing healthier options a luxury.
"Really that food-insecurity issue is about money," says Bellemore. "So people living on minimum wage or on a fixed income, like Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program, are those who are at higher risk."
While most household expenses are set each month, Bellemore says the food budget is more flexible and it's usually the first to get cut.
"You can't do that with other bills. You have to pay your rent, you have to pay transportation to get to work, you have to pay utilities," she says. "When you don't have those things, it's noticeable; when you're hungry it's not as noticeable, so that tends to be the first thing off peoples list."
Food banks are only a temporary solution for struggling families, she added.
"Food banks are not designed for people to rely on them in the long term and that's kind of the situation we are in now in our community. The quality of food given through food banks is not always the most nutritious," Bellemore says. "Most food banks struggle with being able to meet the demand, so they're unable to give people enough food for their families."
She says everyone should advocate to end poverty — food is a basic human right.
Bellemore says a long term solution would see an improvement in social assistance and food systems to ensure everyone can provide a healthy meal for their family.
— with files AM800's Patty Handysides