Tackling Food Insecurity!

Tackling Food Insecurity – Beyond the Plate: How Poverty Shapes What We Eat

I heard an interesting podcast about poverty and it got me thinking – what does poverty look like in our grocery store, or on our plates for someone living at or below the poverty line in Vancouver, BC? Can they afford full meals? Can they afford balanced meals? I think education is the first step, and then figuring out what we can do about it and how we can help support these individuals. We at EFry recognize the financial restraints of many of our clients. These restraints may prevent our clients from having access to adequate food supply, and often limit their ability to obtain healthy and nutritious food. This can often worsen their symptoms, or decrease how fast their symptoms improve. It can also put them at risk for worsening conditions and illnesses, as proper nutrition is vital for so many things – from pain management to disease prevention to wound healing and energy levels.

Who Faces food insecurity?

While we have a mix of clients, some of which live at or above the poverty line, and others that live well below the poverty line in BC, we can obtain a little insight into the complicated food supply that you may be introduced to if you live at or below the poverty line.

What does food insecurity look like in BC?

While there are many age groups and ranges of people living in poverty, it looks like a consistent theme from poverty reports that often the individuals of working age, that are single people living in BC continue to have the highest poverty rates.

Based on these numbers, we can average that people living below the poverty line may be receiving about $2,000 per month for all their expenses – including food, shelter, heating, and all the other expenses we incur over our days. Currently, the average single bedroom home within low income housing in Vancouver costs about $1050 a month, leaving less than $1000 for all other expenses. Based on the other average costs incurred for shelter, heating and hygiene expenses, on average people living under the low income cut off are often left with less than $400 per month for groceries, if not significantly less for some individuals.

What are the next steps?

So, what can this income get you on your plate? See below for examples. Tackling food insecurity is not an easy task. Often, people are left with less than 3 meals a day, and often single ingredient meals. Do you think it’s possible to meet your nutrient needs on 2 meals or less per day?

How has this got you thinking about your groceries? Do you think it would be possible to decrease the amount you spend on groceries? Do you spend significantly more on groceries? Or do your meals look different? We’d love to hear more. Food is everywhere around us and impacts so much of our lives. How would you approach the task of tackling food insecurity?

*Usually, breakfast contains a mix of more processed foods. Sometimes this is all that is available, or sometimes it is because it stores well for long periods of time.*

*Usually, meals can be limited to what is on sale, or stores well.*

References:

BC, G. (2025, Jan 24). Income Assistance Rate Table. Retrieved from Gov.bc: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/policies-for-government/bcea-policy-and-procedure-manual/bc-employment-and-assistance-rate-tables/income-assistance-rate-table

*Sometimes, poverty might look like a single food*

(2017). City of Vancouver Housing Characteristics Fact Sheet. Vancouver: City of Vancouver.

Green, D. A. (2020). A Note on Single Adult Poverty in British Columbia. Vancouver : UBC.

Mission, U. G. (2025, Jan 11). What is Poverty? | An Overview of Poverty in British Columbia. Retrieved from Union Gospel Mission: https://ugm.ca/news/what-poverty-overview-poverty-british-columbia#:~:text=Poverty%20can%20be%20hidden%2C%20like,because%20rent%20is%20too%20expensive

TogetherBC. (2022). British Colubmia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy. Vancouver: Together BC.

WFP, U. (2025, Jan 24). A Meal Around the World: What a Plate of WFP Food Looks Like in 9 of the World’s Hungriest Countries. Retrieved from wfpusa: https://www.wfpusa.org/articles/wfp-meal-around-the-world/

Yeo, J. (2025, Jan 12). What poverty looks like on your plate. Retrieved from Eco-Business: https://www.eco-business.com/news/what-poverty-looks-like-on-your-plate/

To read more about nutrition topics I discuss at Efry Health, head over to our website or take a read at some of our other posts:

Written by Carla Centola, RD