The Executive Director of Canadian Food Focus says families facing increasing food costs are using a combination of strategies to stretch their food dollars. Food costs in Canada have risen by an estimated 30 percent over the past five years.

Dorothy Long, the Executive Director of Canadian Food Focus, says high food prices and higher prices in general are putting a lot of pressure on household budgets and families are adapting in practical ways.

I think they’re planning their meals more carefully, maybe using a flyer, shopping with a list, watching for those sales, maybe choosing store brands, buying in season, maybe using frozen and canned vegetables, doing batch cooking and looking for new ways to use leftovers. I think many of these strategies can work very well, particularly when they’re paired with basic cooking and food storage skills. If you’re going to buy something like fresh vegetables, they’re only a good value if you can use them before they’re spoiled and that takes some careful meal planning. But I think it’s also important not to suggest that food affordability is simply a matter of better household budgeting.

Families can make smart choices and still face real limitations with the high cost of food. The success of these kinds of strategies also depends on what resources they have available to them as well, things like time, what kind of kitchen they have, what kind of appliances they have, what’s available to them. So, all of that needs to be taken into consideration. Canadian Food Focus aims to offer all this information, these ideas without judgment.

~ Dorothy Long, Canadian Food Focus

Long says food affordability is not just about the price of certain items, it’s about whether families can reliably access enough food that is nutritious, that they enjoy, that is culturally appropriate and also practical. She says Canadians need a food system that is capable of producing enough safe affordable food and suggests this is an issue that needs both immediate and long-term attention.

For information visit canadianfoodfocus.org.