32 EVERYONE IS FEELINGthe pinch at the grocery store. According to Canada’s Food Price Report 2023 — a joint effort by researchers from Dalhousie University, University of Guelph, University of British Columbia, and University of Saskatchewan — food prices in Canada had risen 10.3 per cent in 2022, much higher than the predicted five to seven per cent. For an average family of four, that meant an annual food budget increase of $455.44. And food is not the only cost going up for Canadian families: housing, transportation, and utility costs have all been impacted by inflation. And despite record-low Rural food insecurity INNOVATIVE FOOD PROGRAMS HELP ADDRESS HUNGER Mary Feldskov BRIAN INNES, TOGETHER WITH VOLUNTEERS FROM OTTAWA-BASED NON-PROFIT HIDDEN HARVEST, HARVESTED 2200 POUNDS OF APPLES IN SEPTEMBER, WHICH WILL BE SHARED WITH COMMUNITY FOOD PARTNERS. PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN INNES. unemployment, stagnant wages and low provincial social assistance rates means more are struggling financially. The net result? More Canadians than ever before are turning to food banks and social services agencies to help make ends meet and keep food on their table. Rural Living
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