Rise in grocery prices is making it harder to maintaining a healthy diet: Report

The cost of maintaining a healthy diet has increased by 15 per cent between October 2021 and July 2022, according to a report by the Montreal diet dispensary.

“It’s important to mention that there is no processed food in the list of this basket. So it’s fresh fruits, vegetables, frozen food or cans. It’s also basic ingredients like flour and sugar, margarine,” said Julie Paquette.

Paquette fears that the rising cost of basic groceries for low-income families doesn’t leave room for much else.

“A big part of their budget, almost 40 to 50 per cent will go to grocery shopping so it doesn’t leave a lot of space for other stuff like your rent, transportation and just food to live.”

Conducted over the past 70 years – the nutritious and affordable food basket makes it possible to identify the real cost of a basic healthy diet for an individual in Montreal.

In order to do this, the NAFB must meet the following criteria. Paquette explains the criteria needed.

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“The two main criteria that we are looking at is to make sure that the food that is part of the basket have a good nutritional value. And the second criteria is the cost, because we want to make sure that it’s an affordable list of items and food that we put,” explained Packette.

The Montreal dispensary noticed that demand for these reports has been higher.

“Through the years it becomes a tool that is still very relevant and accurate to follow the evolution of food.”

Needs are growing for not only food – but also necessities for babies. And needs felt not just for families, but also for single mothers.

“The needs are just growing for food but also for other materials for babies and moms such as diapers, clothes and everything else that you need. In the report, we are seeing an increase of more than 30 per cent for baby’s cereal, for instance, commercial formula.”

Though the dispensary itself provides various forms of direct support through its food bank, nutrition counselling and coupon donations, Paquette hopes that the nutritious and affordable food basket will influence the government to make more concrete changes.

“With tools like the nutritious basket, what we would like is also to influence like the policy that could be developed to support and help those that can’t.”