Widening hunger in land of plenty

Inflation bites. That’s especially true for a key element of a budget that’s challenging to go without: food.

Higher prices always eat away at spending power, but food price increases have devoured household budgets in recent years, Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) data show.

Food cost increases may have peaked in Manitoba in 2022 at nearly 14 per cent, year over year. But even recent data shows prices rising 4.8 per cent, among the highest in Canada.

Households have little choice but to endure higher food costs, given they cannot go without, or they are increasingly turning to food banks and other community supports. Since 2020, the province’s food banks have logged a 150 per cent increase in use, a 2025 Harvest Manitoba report found.

“Hunger is no longer only a crisis for the unemployed and other folks facing extreme poverty,” says Peter Tzanetakis, president and chief executive officer at the National Payroll Institute.

“Our recent research reveals that many workers are cutting back, taking on debt and carrying the stress of food insecurity into almost every part of their lives.”

A recent report by the National Payroll Institute found one in four employed Canadians find it challenging to meet basic food needs, with more than half of those surveyed noting food affordability is getting worse.

The most affected are lower-income households, but increasingly, lower middle-income Canadians are struggling, says Sylvain Charlebois, director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

He points to the K-shaped economy that has been emerging since the 2008 global financial crisis and became more pronounced post-COVID-19 pandemic during the inflation surge. It illustrates a growing divide between those who are struggling and the sizable minority of households whose affluence immunizes them from higher food costs.

That latter group is “not affected by food inflation at all,” he says. “They’re still buying beef and everything else they want to buy.”

The K-shaped economy is “basically the worst of economies because a good chunk of the population is unaffected by inflation, while a growing demographic is violently affected by higher prices.”

He notes the upper arm of the ‘K’ represents higher income families — the top 20 per cent — seeing their wealth rise from wages and investments. Meanwhile the lower branch, the bottom 20 per cent of earners, are seeing their spending power shrink. “They’re earning less.”

Compared with 2015, the bottom 60 per cent of households today have less income after accounting for inflation, while the top 20 per cent have more income, he adds.

The struggle is deepening for Winnipeg’s low-income households, says Tyler Engel, director of the Community Food Centre, part of NorWest Co-op Community Health. “Food insecurity is a crisis, and for a country as rich as Canada is, it should not be happening.”

The Community Food Centre is on the front line of the battle against hunger, offering chef-cooked nutritious meals served a few times a week to members of the community in need, including many working families.

“It’s very much like a restaurant, served by volunteers with dignity and respect,” Engel said.

Among those volunteers is Junie Omand-Penner, who lives in the northwest Winnipeg community around Gilbert Park.

Omand-Penner also experiences constant food insecurity amid the other financial challenges, including renting a home with three adult children.

“It’s just too expensive for my kids to live on their own,” says Omand-Penner, who gets by on social assistance disability and often relies on food banks. “We’re not buying as many meals as we usually do, and we’re sharing more meals with other family and friends.”

Volunteering at the Community Food Centre is Omand-Penner’s way of giving back to a source of support that helps her family.

The organization doesn’t just offer free meals. It also has community gardens and educational programs that teach interested individuals how to grow food and cook low-cost meals.

“There’s also a fresh fruit and vegetable market here selling items at low cost,” Omand-Penner says, adding fresh produce is challenging to afford. “Instead of going to the store and buying a bag of apples for like seven bucks, I can buy apples for 30 cents each.”

The Community Food Centre is also a hub of community support. “Everybody’s positive, understanding and caring,” Omand-Penner says.

Many members of its community could use an understanding ear — and a helping hand, Engel notes.

“People who need us the most are on (Employment and Income Assistance),” he notes adding the provincial welfare program is too meagre for people to afford increasing costs for food and shelter.

Many other users of the food centre work part-time or in the gig economy. “Even those working full-time find they’re still not earning enough,” he adds.

While the Community Food Centre and other community organizations like Harvest Manitoba are helping feed hungry households, what’s needed is more financial support for low-income individuals.

Governments has announced new programs to help, including Manitoba cutting the provincial sales tax on prepared and snack food in grocery stores, starting July 1.

As well, the new Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit provides up to $533 for a one-time boost, while increasing the GST Credit by 25 per cent for the next five years. And the new Canada Disability Benefit also provides up to $200 a month for individuals with disabilities.

While welcome, Engels notes these initiatives are unlikely to turn the tide. That’s why the Community Food Centres Canada — its other key role is advocacy — is pushing federal and provincial governments to provide more income support for those who need it most.

“We’re not pushing for basic income yet, but more income is what’s going to solve a lot of food insecurity issues.”

Joel Schlesinger is a Winnipeg-based freelance journalist.

joelschles@gmail.com