The cost of eating in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph jumped over 10 per cent this summer.
The Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Board of Health received a report on Sept. 3 that showed the weekly cost of a food basket to feed a family of four in the region rose by 11.5% over last year to $149.09. According to the Ministry of Heath’s Nutritious food basket survey, it is the highest annual increase since 1998.
WDG Public Health dietitians collected the local data in June. The cost of the food basket was calculated by visiting seven grocery stores in Wellington and Dufferin Counties and determining the cost of 66 specific food items. The food costs were then averaged.
The surveyed items included a variety of less expensive choices from the four food groups in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating: breads, cereals, and other grain products; milk, cheese and other milk products; vegetables and fruit; and meat and alternates, such as beans.
Items with little nutritional value, such as soft drinks, potato chips, and sugary cereals, were not included in the survey. The food basket also did not include other items frequently bought at the grocery store such as laundry detergent, soap, toothpaste, or toilet paper.
WDG public health dietitian Jane Bellman said, “Making healthy food choices is essential for normal growth and development, and to prevent disease. The survey results reinforce the need to assess the adequacy of social assistance in the province as well as increase the support of local initiatives to assist individuals and groups with limited incomes.”
Locally, public health dietitians and community food advisors help consumers develop the knowledge and skills to select, purchase, and prepare healthy and safe food on limited budgets.
For more information, or to receive a copy of The Cost of Eating in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph: Nutritious Food Basket, call WDG Public Health at 1-800-265-7293, or visit the website www.wdghu.org.
