One in 4 parents say they cut back their own food consumption to feed their kids: report

One in four parents say they cut back on their own food consumption to ensure their children had enough to eat in the past year, according to the Salvation Army.

The numbers are in the non-profit's annual report on poverty in Canada, which was released Thursday. The report states that parents are experiencing a "disproportionate number of challenges" related to the cost of living, specifically when it comes to grocery bills.

"The reality is that many Canadians continue to have trouble meeting their daily basic needs for themselves and, much more importantly, for their children and their family members," said John Murray, a spokesperson for the Salvation Army.

"And that, for us as an organization, signals a deep, deep crisis for us in the country."

Of the parents surveyed, 24 per cent said they reduced their food consumption to keep their kids fed in the past year. Of those parents, 90 per cent said they reduced their grocery bills to put money toward other financial obligations, 86 per cent said they've started buying less nutritious food because it's cheaper, and 84 per cent reported skipping meals entirely.

While half of all those surveyed said they've experienced "food related challenges," a higher proportion of parents — 58 per cent — reported the same.

Food Banks Canada recently reported more than two million visits to Canadian food banks in March of this year alone — a six per cent jump over the previous year and a 90 per cent increase since 2019.

The Salvation Army reported Thursday that there's been an increase in first time food-bank users over the past year.

Staff and volunteers at the Salvation Army food bank in Sydney prepare for the Christmas distribution. In Cape Breton, food bank usage is up 50 per cent over last year. (Holly Conners/CBC)

Fifty-eight per cent of those who accessed the organization's food banks in the past year were doing so for the first time, compared to 43 per cent in the previous year.

But the Salvation Army report also indicates that overall concerns about food affordability and inflation have eased since last year.

Thirty-six per cent listed inflation as their top challenge in 2024, down from 47 per cent in 2023. Food affordability was listed as the number one issue for 33 per cent of those surveyed, down from 39 per cent in 2023.

Canada's inflation rate fell to 1.6 per cent in September after peaking at 8.1 per cent in June of 2022.

More Canadians appear to be worried about health care and homelessness in 2024, with 59 and 44 per cent listing those as their top concerns respectively.

Murray said food insecurity and health care are "deeply interconnected."

"I don't think it should be any surprise to us when you consider an individual in that kind of living, in that kind of environment — they experience emotional stress, mental health stress, physical stress — and that is a vicious cycle that just continues to go around," he said.

"These are impossible choices that people are having to make every single day. So it does impact people's health."