Last week Food Banks Canada released HungerCount 2022, reporting data from almost 2,400 food banks across Canada. In Alberta, there were 156,000 food bank visits, a 73% increase over 2019. This is more than double the national rate of increase and the highest rate in the country. The count was undertaken in March 2022 when the unemployment rate was at 5.3% (the lowest it’s been since 1976); however, food bank visits were the highest they have ever been.

Key stats

• One in five people accessing food banks in Canada are currently employed or on Employment Insurance and 52% of food-insecure households report jobs as their main income source.
• More than 33% of food bank users are children.
• Three out of every five people in Canada reported housing as the largest obstacle to affording food – up from only one in five in 2020.

The most notable change over the past few years has been the decoupling of employment and food insecurity. The report stresses that resolving food insecurity with temporary solutions shouldn’t be the only focus and that long term income-based solutions are needed to address systemic poverty. Their recommendations are extensive and range from income floors to incentives for business to implement living wages, all with the aim of addressing the root causes of food bank use – low incomes and poverty – and ensuring no one goes hungry in Canada.