A new study by Vancouver based Angus Reid Institute indicates half of low-income households say the new Canada Food Guide diet is unaffordable.
The study also shows nearly half of all Canadians say it has grown more difficult to afford to put food on the table over the last 12 months, and four-in-ten say adhering to the diet recommended in the recently updated Canada Food Guide would make paying their household’s food bill even more challenging.
Canadians’ views on the price and nutritional value of the food they eat have changed and there is a sense that food is getting harder to afford for many, particularly Canadians in lower-income households.
Study respondents with household incomes under $50,000 say they are considerably more likely to have chosen less healthy, cheaper options, or to have cut back on meat and vegetables as a response to their affordability challenges.
Furthermore, half of lower-income Canadians say it would be difficult for them to afford to eat a diet based on the new food guide.
The new Canada Food Guide diet places greater emphasis on plant-based foods and less on meat as a source of protein. Lower-income Canadians are also four times more likely to have used a food bank in the past year.
