News Release

Food programs little economic benefit for poor families: Study

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Toronto

Governments have funded nutrition programs in part to address the problem of child hunger. However, University of Toronto researchers say such nutrition programs have little ability on their own to relieve the underlying poverty that creates food insecurity in children's home environments.

"Our study finds that if a family is struggling to put food on the table, then the small amount of money they might save by having their child participate in a nutrition program will do little to change the root problem of inadequate household income. That family will still struggle to put food on the table," says U of T medical student Nicholas Vozoris, lead author of a study with nutritional sciences professor Valerie Tarasuk in the latest issue of the Canadian Review of Social Policy.

The study found that the snacks or meals at initiatives such as school lunch programs represented only a small fraction of an individual's food needs and only five to nine per cent of a family's food costs during the school month. These contributions therefore have little potential to impact the larger problem of food insecurity in the household, says Vozoris.

To estimate the capacity of child nutrition programs to offset financial difficulties in households on welfare, the researchers calculated the programs' contribution to the food needs and costs of two hypothetical Toronto households. Estimated food needs and costs were based on the Ontario Nutritious Food Basket, a government measure of low-cost, nutritious food. Household income met basic needs in the case of a single woman with two young children but fell well below estimated expenses for a two-parent, two-child family. In both cases, participation in the nutrition program contributed relatively little to the households' total food needs and ability to improve their overall food situation. An analysis of prenatal nutrition programs led to similar findings.

"More effective policy responses to household food insecurity that recognize the link between inadequate income and inadequate food are badly needed in Canada," says Tarasuk, noting that government investment in nutrition programs has been trivial in comparison to welfare cuts in recent years. "This problem affects everyone who lacks the means to obtain sufficient food."

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CONTACT: Nicholas Vozoris, pager 416-330-1619, nickvozoris@hotmail.com or Valerie Tarasuk, Department of Nutritional Sciences, 416-978-0618, valerie.tarasuk@utoronto.ca or Jessica Whiteside, U of T public affairs, 416-978-5948, jessica.whiteside@utoronto.ca


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