The Cost of Eating Healthy

Tuesday, 19 December 2017 13:03

It costs about $202 a week or $876 a month to purchase healthy food for a family of four in Perth County.

Eating healthy is not as easy as you would think for a lot of families.

The Perth District Health Unit has calculated how much it will cost the average family to eat healthy by costing out a Nutritious Food Basket. They looked at the average cost of 67 basic food items, such as fruit, vegetables, bread, eggs and meat at six local grocery stores. Right now it costs about $202 a week or $876 a month to purchase healthy food for a family of four.

The food basket was actually less this year, compared to last year coming in at about $7.50 per week less than the 2016 basket. However the cost is still extremely high and out of reach for some families. Public Health Dietician Natalee Ridgeway says eating healthy is extremely difficult for a lot of families.

"Year after year, this exercise shows that people living on low incomes will be unable to purchase enough healthy food for themselves and their families after paying other expenses like rent. For example, a family of four receiving Ontario Works would need to spend about one third of their income on nutritious food, compared to a family who earns the median Ontario income and spends just 11% of their income on food."

The report indicates that food insecurity is a serious public health issue. Living with food insecurity has a tremendous negative impact on both physical and mental health in adults and children. It is linked to increased risk of chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, anxiety, and depression.

What can you do to help?

· Talk to others and local politicians about issues of poverty and hunger in our community

· Volunteer to support local programs, such as community meals, food banks, the Local Community Food Centre, and school nutrition programs

· Donate a variety of non-perishable food, toiletry items, or money to food banks on a regular basis

· Support the local economy by buying local food and products.