With such abundance, why is there food insecurity?

June 4, 2026 · 0 Comments

by Mark Pavilons

Anne Frank observed that hunger is an “obscenity.” She suggested there is no reason to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

If you think about it, food is everything – it’s national security, economy, employment, energy and more.

In our advanced society, we can see there’s more than enough on this planet for everyone’s needs. If it were not for everyone’s greed.

I’m not sure why the issue of food insecurity and hunger are issues in wealthy, secure nations. I can’t believe there’s some sort of food conspiracy going on that not only artificially inflates food prices, but their availability and even disposal.

Marie Antoinette didn’t really understand the issue when she suggested that the peasants eat cake. She paid the ultimate price for that statement and her ignorance.

I don’t think Canada uses the guillotine as punishment.

Data from leading research firm PROOF indicates Canada’s food insecurity is much worse than previously thought.

Statistics Canada monitors the prevalence and severity of household food insecurity through its population surveys.

In 2025, 24% of people in Canada lived in a food-insecure household. That amounts to approximately 9.8 million people, including 2.4 million children, living in households that struggled to afford the food they need.

This is the first year with a small decline in the percentage of people living in food-insecure households, after three consecutive increases.

Since food insecurity status is determined by the report of food deprivation in the past 12 months, we think it is more appropriate to characterize the food insecurity statistics as representative of 2025.

Food insecurity remains a large and persistent problem in Canada. Despite a small decrease in the percentage of people living in food-insecure households between 2024 and 2025, the estimates for 2025 are still among the highest observed in the 20 years of monitoring. The persistently high prevalence of household food insecurity across Canada highlights the need for more effective, evidence-based policy responses by federal, provincial, and territorial governments.

The percentage of people in households experiencing food insecurity decreased from 25.7% in 2024 to 24.0% in 2025, representing a 1.7 percentage point decline.

But this can’t possibly be an issue in Peel, York, Caledon or King can it?

If you want the truth, just ask a local teacher who wonders why a certain student spends lunch time alone, with no paper bag or lunch box.

The persistence of more severe experiences of food insecurity in Canada is very concerning. The negative health outcomes and increased health care needs associated with food insecurity are graded, with those in severely food-insecure household more likely to have chronic physical and mental health problems, require healthcare services like hospitalization, and die prematurely.

We can’t view this in isolation because it’s tied to everything in society. Attainable housing, job security, cost of living … all have an impact on a family’s total “insecurities.”

When it comes down to what’s not on the plate at dinner time, it becomes gut-wrenchingly real.

How can we deny any child (or anyone) at least one or two hearty meals a day?
My friends, food banks have been operating in local affluent communities for decades now.

The King Township Food Bank currently serves hundreds of residents each month.

Their stories are as varied as they are. They recently opened a new hub in Schomberg with more space and facilities to help those in need.

But make no mistake, the need is very real.

Children under 18 and working age adults have considerably higher proportions of people living in food-insecure households, compared to seniors 65 years and older. The percentage of children living in food-insecure households is more than double the percentage for seniors.

In 2025, nearly a third of children under 18 in Canada (30.8%) lived in a food-insecure household. That amounts to almost 2.4 million children, which represents 118,000 fewer children compared to 2024. The largest decline from 2024 to 2025 was among children living in marginally food-insecure households. In 2025, a bit more than three quarters (78%) of children living in food-insecure households, nearly 1.9 million children, were in moderately or severely food-insecure households.

In 2025, food insecurity affected 29.4% of people in families with children. Women+ lone-parent families are very likely to be food-insecure, with nearly half (47.4%) of people in these families affected.

These new statistics continue to sound the alarm for policy actions to improve the financial circumstances of vulnerable households and address household food insecurity, whether by improving the existing programs that make up our social safety net.

We wave our flag proudly when it suits us. But we are miles behind other countries when it comes to dealing with food insecurity, affordable housing and homelessness.

Why is that?

I would gladly accept a new tax if 100% of it went to tackling these issues. But then again, when government bureaucracy gets involved, the solutions don’t always emerge.

How about repurposing discarded bus shelters for the homeless; or end-of-day runs from bakeries to deliver goodies to shelters?

How about just spreading the love, with no judgement, no criticism, just no-strings-attached support?

Any ideas?