“Let them eat cake,” said Marie Antoinette. Quite the cynic. Or was she?
In fact, what she said was “qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” Let them eat brioche, a type of cake made from flour, butter, and eggs. French law, at the time, dictated that basic bread prices be fixed to prevent bakers from selling only the exorbitantly priced finer breads. With a flour shortage, it would allow the disadvantaged to eat what would otherwise be unaffordable. Perhaps not so cynical after all. It presented a reprieve from food insecurity for all.
Food Insecurity is still an issue
Centuries later, food insecurity is still an issue for many, especially now. We all have to eat. Our physical and emotional health are dependent on nutritious affordable food choices. Many in our communities relinquish that option.
Modest minimum wages and Income Assistance increases have been inadequate for families to meet basic nutritional needs. In Nova Scotia, “food insecurity rose from 17 percent in 2021 to 22 percent in 2022.” Food banks have seen an increase of 27 percent in the early months of 2023. This percentage is anticipated to increase in the next couple of months.
Limited resources and the increasing cost of nutritional food
Mary (a pseudonym) is on disability for life. She knows what it’s like to have limited resources when it comes to food options. She notes: “It restricts your lifestyle. You learn to do without. However, I’ve come to appreciate the other things in life, the basics. I now grow my own garden. It’s an attitude you develop after time.”
Mary is not alone in her struggle with food insecurity. How do we know this? The answer can be found with participatory food costing. The federal government established the Food Prices Review Board in 1973 to address speculated public concerns about the increasing cost of food.
By 1998, Health Canada initiated the National Nutritious Food Basket (NNFB) with a list of 60 basic foods that meet Canadian nutritional recommendations in relation to quantity, age group, and sex.
In 1985, the Nova Scotia Nutrition Council (NSNC) was established. The NSYNC’s mandate is to ensure the nutritional health of all individuals in the province. Partnered with the Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre (AHPRC) and Family Resources Centres/Projects (FRC/Ps), they are committed partners involved in participatory food costing throughout the nine district health authorities in the province, which came together under the new Nova Scotia Health Authority.
Food costs vary
What has been discerned about food costs related to the NNFB? Food costs vary depending on where you live. The average cost of the NNFB, per month, is greater in rural areas (about 37 percent to 50 percent of the province’s population). The average cost of the NNFB is greater in small grocery stores compared to superstores. Foods produced locally may be less expensive to grocery store consumers.
However, certain foods are not always available. It’s difficult for farmers to have a market unless they go to other farmers’ markets across the province. A basic healthy diet, according to Canada’s food guide, is out of reach for some families relying on minimum wage or income assistance.
Various levels of government need to play a substantial role with strong leadership to assimilate all interested parties into talking and addressing the increasing cost of nutritional food versus the prices of unhealthy food. If not addressed, the outcome can result in increased health care costs related to chronic disease, both physically and emotionally.
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government plans to approach the largest food chains to initiate a plan in reducing food costs across the country.
To those like Mary, community and government impetus hopefully presents a light at the end of the tunnel.
As the old saying goes, “you are what you eat.”