The measure of a country is how well it feeds its people nourishing food.
There is something deeply unsettling in the numbers of a new TD Insurance survey – The majority of Canadians surveyed know all the ways to save on their monthly expenses, but not on their insurance.
The survey reveals that “70 per cent of insured Canadians are cutting food costs to cope with rising living expenses. Nearly half are negotiating lower internet bills, forty-two per cent are hunting for clothing deals, and yet only thirty-eight per cent are even considering shopping around for better home or auto insurance rates.”
On the surface, it looks like resourcefulness as Canadians adapt, tighten and adjust to a new world. But read the subtext of the statistics to see the stark reality of families choosing less nutrition just to survive.
These days, fresh vegetables are replaced with processed fillers, fruit is traded for sugar-laden substitutes, quality proteins are swapped for empty calories. Breakfasts pared down to toast and sugary spreads, and bread is chosen off the shelf for price over nourishment. When it comes to suppers, dinner plates are now filled with starch while colour, freshness, and balance disappear.
These are concessions made in utter desperation, and worst of all, this is unfolding in a country consistently rated in the top five for food security and food safety.
Canada has always been a land of abundance. We have vast prairies and fertile valleys, endless coasts and thriving rivers and lakes, we have a network of microclimates that can grow almost anything. And yet, for millions of Canadians, real food is slipping out of reach. This crippling normalisation of choosing cost over nourishment is heartbreaking to witness.
When a parent scans the aisles weighing fresh salmon against the price of instant noodles, taste is not a decision maker, the survival of their family is. And the irony cuts deep because by eating less, and eating less well, we are trading short-term savings for long-term health costs.
The TD survey captures a nation stretched to its limits. Seventy per cent of Canadians are making compromises at the grocery store. Nearly half are trimming their internet bills even as remote work, online learning, and connection to the world demand more.
The paradox is clear: we will go without the nutrients that keep us healthy before questioning the systems that put us on this path.
Food is fuel, it is culture, memory, connection, and celebration, it is how we gather around tables, nurture our children, and care for our elders. Food is the very heart and soul of who we are.
When governments prioritise food accessibility, and support farmers to grow more and grow better, when families are empowered to choose fresh and nourishing food without fear of cost or established organisations we build a stronger, healthier, more resilient country.
Food is not a luxury.
Food is the foundation of public health, economic stability, and human dignity.