Cost of eating beyond many in B.C.
Cariboo Press - Kamloops This Week
26 Nov 2006
By: Laura Kalina, registered dietitian with the Interior Health Authority.

EXCERPT

Imagine you, your partner and two children living on $1,600 a month. Your rent is $934 or almost 60 per cent of your income.

Your food costs are $653 a month, or about 40 per cent of your income - leaving you with nothing for all your other costs of daily living, transportation, clothes, school supplies, household supplies, personal care items, etc.

Could you live on that?

That is the reality for a family of four living on temporary income assistance in this province. Once the rent is paid, there is little money left for food or other necessities.

A family of four with an average income would spend about 15 per cent of their income on food and about 30 per cent on shelter.

The Cost of Eating in BC - Annual Report 2006 from the Dietitians of Canada, BC Region and the Community Nutritionists Council of BC profiles the hardships faced by families trying to purchase healthy food while living on a low income.

The report also makes recommendations to address poverty and hunger.

The Kamloops statistics are as follows:

Kamloops Food Bank Clients Served from 10/1/2006 to 10/31/2006

Age Range

• Babies (0 to 2): 81
• Pre-schoolers (2 to 6): 126
• School Children (6 to 19): 370
• Adults (19 to 65): 942
• Seniors (65 to 100): 25

Total Clients Served: 1,597

New Clients from 10/1/2006 to 10/31/2006

Age Range

• Babies (0 to 2): 16
• Pre-schoolers (2 to 6): 16
• School Children (6 to 19): 61
• Adults (19 to 65): 156
• Seniors (65 to 100): 5

Total New Clients: 263

For more information on these statistics, go online to http://www.kamloopsfoodbank.org

Why should you care? It is well documented that Canadians with low incomes suffer from more health problems and die earlier than wealthier Canadians.

They spend less on food, and consume fewer servings of fruit, vegetables and milk products, because they are lacking the income to purchase these items.

Research shows that single mothers living on a low income put their own nutritional health at risk in order to ensure that of their children.

B.C. has the highest child-poverty rate and highest low-income rate among families in Canada.

How in this province of plenty can we allow such high poverty rates to persist?

All British Columbians deserve to have enough healthy food.

A healthy diet is key to the optimal growth of our children and preventing and treating chronic diseases such as diabetes.

If we are to meet our goal of being the healthiest jurisdiction to ever host an Olympic Games, we must pay closer attention to low- income British Columbians.

Locally, the Kamloops Food Policy Council works in partnership with many non-profits whose aim is to make nutritious food available to low income groups....