NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE MUSKOKA DISTRICT HEALTH UNIT
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New knowledge from Public Well being Ontario (PHO) Family Meals Insecurity Snapshot (July 2024), reveals a regarding rise in family meals insecurity throughout the province, with Simcoe Muskoka experiencing a very sharp improve in comparison with the earlier 4 years.
In 2023, 31 p.c of households in Simcoe Muskoka skilled some stage of meals insecurity, which means they don’t manage to pay for for enough and safe entry to meals. This quantity is a big improve from the speed of 19 per cent in 2022 and better than the provincial price of 24 p.c.
“When individuals and families experience food insecurity it means they do not have enough food or regular access to food because of financial constraints,” says Vanessa Hurley, a Public Well being Nutritionist with the Simcoe Muskoka District Well being Unit (SMDHU). “The experience of food insecurity can range from having concerns about running out of food before there is money to buy more, to being unable to buy nutritious food, to going hungry and skipping meals. In severe cases, people may not eat for whole days because of a lack money for food.”
Family meals insecurity is linked to critical well being issues and folks residing with meals insecurity are at better danger of experiencing psychological well being situations resembling despair and nervousness, in addition to plenty of persistent ailments resembling diabetes and coronary heart illness. They’re additionally at better danger of poor oral well being, infections, and bodily accidents. These well being results will be lengthy lasting, significantly amongst kids as they’re most susceptible. In flip, family meals insecurity additionally takes a critical toll on healthcare sources and spending. With 1 in 4 kids experiencing family meals insecurity in Ontario, pressing agent is required.
Addressing family meals insecurity requires a community-wide method to seek out options and information actions to place extra money in individuals’s pockets. Actions will be so simple as sending a letter to induce your political leaders to behave on family meals insecurity. The well being unit’s web site provides sources that will help you get began, together with a hyperlink to Neighborhood Meals Centres Canada’s advocacy e-letter that may be despatched on to your native Member of Parliament. You too can contact the well being unit for a personalized letter to ship to your native leaders or to discover ways to become involved in creating long-lasting options that focus on insufficient earnings.
For extra details about the difficulty of family meals insecurity and the way it may be addressed, please go to the well being unit’s web site at smdhu.org or name Well being Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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