Food inflation is so persistent it threatens to reverse gains in the national poverty rate, according to the Department of Social Development. The average 11% annual increase in grocery prices “could impact poverty rates in Canada” for years to come, said a department memo..“The rising cost of food will be reflected in Canada’s poverty rates,” said the September 27 memo School Food. “As food prices increase, poverty thresholds are likely to follow. This could impact poverty rates in Canada in the coming years.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, the department noted the pre-pandemic national poverty rate declined to as low as 6.4% due in part to the tax-free Canada Child Benefit and pandemic relief programs. “The significant decrease in poverty between 2019 and 2020 can be mostly attributed to temporary COVID-19 emergency income supports,” it said..The memo said managers are continuing work on a promised national school lunch program. Cabinet in a 2021 Ministerial Mandate letter said it would “develop a national school food policy and work toward a national school nutritious meal program.” No program has been introduced to date..“There is an uneven patchwork of programming across the country reaching roughly one in five school age children, 21%,” said the memo. “The needs of many children are not adequately met.”.“School food programming with the exception of First Nations on reserve falls under provincial and territorial jurisdiction,” said the memo. “However the Government of Canada has provided some funding to support school food initiatives.”.The department said difficulties in finalizing the program included “ensuring food is adequate and nutritious, exploring how to align programming to needs in a way to avoid stigma, culturally appropriate programming and accountability.” .The New Democrat caucus that currently holds a balance of power in Parliament campaigned in 2021 on a national school lunch program that would "give every child in Canada access to healthy food,” according to its election platform Ready For Better. The program was not costed..Statistics Canada in a report Monthly Average Retail Prices For Selected Products last November 2 tracked dramatic increases in prices for staple foods and the cheapest cuts of meat. “Families are in their darkest hours,” Conservative MP Matt Jeneroux (Edmonton Riverbend AB) told the House of Commons at the time..Figures showed year over year, Canadians were paying 10% more for canned salmon, 12% more for potatoes, 14% more for ground beef, 17% more for eggs and 22% more for chicken thighs..The price of onions were up 25%, spaghetti 26% and canned soup 30%, figures showed. “I mean, we have all seen the price of milk, the price of bread, the price of energy,” Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne (Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC) earlier told reporters..“Everyone needs to do their part to help consumers at a time where, you know, we see rising inflation,” said Champagne. “We know that the price of energy and food is what people care about.”
