Now I realize that it may seem that I’m complaining about food and prices a lot (even if not always on my blog). Part of the reason I talk about it so much is because of the food prices and food insecurity is a serious problem in Nunavut. The thing is, I’m a student, and I’m employed. What does that really mean? It means I’m literate, it means I’m educated (in nutrition at that) so I have the ability to make healthy food decisions when I shop; I’m an educated consumer. It also means that for the summer I have a steady income, a government income at that. I really shouldn’t have issues with food, but I do. Although, part of me is complaining for my own personal finances (6$ for 4 bananas!!), but really it’s because every time I shop or eat out, I realize more and more how food security and food access is a major problem here, and this has a major health impact on the Nunavummiut who live here. If I have trouble eating well on budget I can’t imagine what a family of 5 goes through, especially considering the employment rate and education levels here. Let me pull out some statistics from the Inuit Health Survey (2007-2008) to demonstrate.
(Backgrounder from the Inuit Health Survey: “Nunavummiut [people from Nunavut] have expressed a sesire to have health information that is of practical relevance so that informed decisions can be made in the face of the rapid changes that affecting all dimension of life in Arctic communities. In response to these concerns, a multifaceted participatory health research project for those 18 years of age and above was developed and undertaken in 25 communities in Nunavut in 2007 and 2008. The goal of the survey was to obtain an overview of the health status and living conditions of Nunavummiut living in Nunavut.”) All of the information below was taken from the Inuit Health Survey (2007-2008): Nunavut.
- Average household in Nunavut: 4.6 people
- Average household in Canada: 2.5 people (my current household is 1… just me)
- Education: 34% of study participants completed high school
- Employment: 36% of participants at the time had full-time employment.
- Average Monthly Household Spending on Food in Nunavut: $1875
- Average Monthly Household Spending on Food in Canada: $609
(should be double, not triple, because household composition is double here (4.6 vs. 2.5), not triple)
Food Security:
- Less than 1/3 of households reported having enough food to eat (i.e. reporting to be food secure)
- Severe food insecurity is “disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake among adults and/or children” caused by unemployment, low income, and high food costs….
- 35% of Nunavummiut households reported severe food insecurity
VS. 9% of Canadian households reported moderate of severe food insecurity (Canadian Community Health Survey, 2004)
- 71% of households with children were food insecure
This is why the cost of food has me so concerned.
I could really write you a huge post (or PhD dessertation) just on food insecurity, there are many facets to this problem, especially in Nunavut. But today, I just wanted to scratch the surface.
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