In The Media
Our research and reporting of national food insecurity statistics has been widely covered in the media. This coverage has been important for elevating public awareness of the extent and impact of food insecurity, and highlighting the evidence for policies that improve incomes as effective solutions. The following is a small collection of select written media coverage. PROOF investigators also regularly contribute commentaries and appear in video and radio news.
Last updated: 2023-5-25
Food insecurity statistics
Our status reports, first published in 2013, have made food insecurity statistics accessible to the public and garnered widespread media attention across Canada for almost a decade. By popularizing food insecurity statistics, we’ve drawn attention to the extent of the problem and highlighted the importance of systematic monitoring.
Food insecurity and public policy
Our examinations of policy interventions like public pensions, social assistance reform, and child benefits demonstrate that improving household incomes can reduce food insecurity. Media coverage of this research has highlighted the need for this kind of policy action and the problem with policy directions like government funding for food charity or food waste diversion in the name of addressing food insecurity.
Expanding the understanding of food insecurity
Our research has shed light on who are most vulnerable to food insecurity, what it means to be food-insecure, and the wide toll on health and wellbeing. The findings and media coverage help shift the narrative away from food insecurity being simply a problem of not having enough food. Food insecurity is a marker of broader material deprivation and a reflection of poverty, systemic racism, and colonialism, requiring solutions that address these root causes.
Nutrition North Canada
Our research found that food insecurity in Nunavut had worsened following the introduction of Nutrition North Canada, highlighting the need for more effective initiatives to address food insecurity in the North. The findings garnered attention to the high rate of food insecurity in Nunavut and long-standing calls from Inuit and Northern communities for policy action, including reform of the subsidy program.
Fed Up – Food insecurity in Newfoundland and Labrador
Fed Up is a CBC series, in collaboration with Food First NL, that has regularly highlighted our research as part of its coverage on food insecurity in Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2021, it won a Radio Television Digital News Association award for Continuing Coverage.
International coverage
In addition to attention from the international research community, our work has also received international media coverage in recognition of the implications for understanding and addressing food insecurity in other high-income countries.
