Food insecurity in Canada
Oct 18th 2020, 10:19 pm
#16
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
Yeah, we've talked about this before. The Disability aspect is poor here. But the drug program that we depended on for a period was actually better than most others once you were actually on it and the current Drug Plan (available for everyone, with a wide range of premiums and co-pays) is pretty damn good and totally affordable.
Also of relevance is the lower cost of housing. As I said above, as a family of four, we managed on an income $300 to $600 a month lower than social assistance levels for a family of four with housing costs nearer to normal rent levels rather than social/subsidised housing.
According to that link from Siouxie most food insecurity is situated in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, or British Columbia. That's quite a lot West, area wise - although that's perception according to whether one lives on the left half or the right half.
Our cheapest dinner was a huge pot of pasta sauce on the stove for 2 to 3 hours then poured into tupperware pots and frozen. A lot of work all in one go but a great time saver every time we had it thereafter. Dried pasta could always be had for a dollar or less - and still can after all this time
I calculated the cost of the sauce one day - I had lots of time
- and it came out as around 50c per meal for the four of us, so add the pasta and $1.50 fed us, actually leaving enough for the kids for a school lunch. It didn't have to be the next day but they loved it and still do.
Of course that was an exception; other things cost as much as $4 for four dinners and a couple of lunches. There's a thread on it somewhere.
We could also afford steak - just the $2.99 lb stuff - and the typical Sunday roast was absolutely normal, though mostly chicken.
Also of relevance is the lower cost of housing. As I said above, as a family of four, we managed on an income $300 to $600 a month lower than social assistance levels for a family of four with housing costs nearer to normal rent levels rather than social/subsidised housing.
According to that link from Siouxie most food insecurity is situated in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, or British Columbia. That's quite a lot West, area wise - although that's perception according to whether one lives on the left half or the right half.
Our cheapest dinner was a huge pot of pasta sauce on the stove for 2 to 3 hours then poured into tupperware pots and frozen. A lot of work all in one go but a great time saver every time we had it thereafter. Dried pasta could always be had for a dollar or less - and still can after all this time
I calculated the cost of the sauce one day - I had lots of time
- and it came out as around 50c per meal for the four of us, so add the pasta and $1.50 fed us, actually leaving enough for the kids for a school lunch. It didn't have to be the next day but they loved it and still do.Of course that was an exception; other things cost as much as $4 for four dinners and a couple of lunches. There's a thread on it somewhere.
We could also afford steak - just the $2.99 lb stuff - and the typical Sunday roast was absolutely normal, though mostly chicken.
I don't have any complaint's with the prescription coverage we get in BC, majority of our medications are fully covered as well as the filling fee, every so often doctor will prescribe something that isn't covered, but its not common enough to be an issue.
Oct 18th 2020, 10:52 pm
#17
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
We ate a lot of ground meat and stew meals back when we were students, and in the early years here.
My go-to cook book back in those days was one I bought in 1963 when I went into my first flat in the UK .......... 500 Budget Meals. It was a paper back, and it is still on my kitchen shelf today, although obviously very well used! I use it frequently, even now.
I still prepare food in large quantities and freeze for future use.
Stew beef was cheap, pork stew meat was even cheaper ... and you could come up with a really fancy name for a pork stew meal when serving it to friends, eg, Huntsman Stew which had mainly vegetables in it, which brought a lot of compliments. I don't think they ever realised just how cheaply we fed 6 people that evening!
But, J ........ Siouxie raised the BC Farmer's Market programme. Did you ever try that??
I'm not sure how it went down this summer, but I know in the 2 previous summers they were operating across Vancouver. There was one outside a church a few blocks away from me that was selling on behalf of that programme, although it was only 1 stall. The produce looked good, with quite a choice, and good prices.
Out of my own interest, I've just worked the cost of our dinner this evening ......... half of a pork tenderloin from the freezer, large tenderloin originally bought on special for around $9.00 in April and cut in half, so cost of half = $4.50. Maple roasted acorn squash, cost $1.64. Home-grown potatoes, cost nothing.
The tenderloin will do us 3 meals for 2 people, so 75c each. Acorn squash .82c each ...... total cost $1.57 each, or $3.14 for the whole meal.
My go-to cook book back in those days was one I bought in 1963 when I went into my first flat in the UK .......... 500 Budget Meals. It was a paper back, and it is still on my kitchen shelf today, although obviously very well used! I use it frequently, even now.
I still prepare food in large quantities and freeze for future use.
Stew beef was cheap, pork stew meat was even cheaper ... and you could come up with a really fancy name for a pork stew meal when serving it to friends, eg, Huntsman Stew which had mainly vegetables in it, which brought a lot of compliments. I don't think they ever realised just how cheaply we fed 6 people that evening!
But, J ........ Siouxie raised the BC Farmer's Market programme. Did you ever try that??
I'm not sure how it went down this summer, but I know in the 2 previous summers they were operating across Vancouver. There was one outside a church a few blocks away from me that was selling on behalf of that programme, although it was only 1 stall. The produce looked good, with quite a choice, and good prices.
Out of my own interest, I've just worked the cost of our dinner this evening ......... half of a pork tenderloin from the freezer, large tenderloin originally bought on special for around $9.00 in April and cut in half, so cost of half = $4.50. Maple roasted acorn squash, cost $1.64. Home-grown potatoes, cost nothing.
The tenderloin will do us 3 meals for 2 people, so 75c each. Acorn squash .82c each ...... total cost $1.57 each, or $3.14 for the whole meal.
Oct 18th 2020, 11:06 pm
#18
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
Unlike many, we have to cover the whole cost of all our prescriptions, glasses, dentist treatments, hearing aids, physiotherapy, ambulance call, even prostheses if needed. All GP and specialists visits (to their offices) are free, as long as we have been referred to the specialist. We get all hospital treatment including drugs free, but have to pay what is considered a "nominal" sum for a ward bed. The last time I was in hospital for 1 night in a 2 bed ward, it cost $60.00, and they couldn't even feed me because my "bed" had not requested a lactose-free meal the day before. The ward nurse managed to find 1 slice of bread and a little tub of strawberry jam for me, when she realised I had not eaten for 36 hours!. Luckily, I was still basically out of it for lunch and dinner on the day of the op and didn't want any food!!!
Even paying almost $3000 a year extra for extra medical and dental plans, we still have to pay out of pocket, and claim what we've spent (including the private plan premiums) on the income tax return every year. Our medical plan does not include the cost of optician care or glasses.
One reason why I still keep a very strict eye on what we spend on food, and try to ensure that we throw out very little.
Even paying almost $3000 a year extra for extra medical and dental plans, we still have to pay out of pocket, and claim what we've spent (including the private plan premiums) on the income tax return every year. Our medical plan does not include the cost of optician care or glasses.
One reason why I still keep a very strict eye on what we spend on food, and try to ensure that we throw out very little.
Oct 18th 2020, 11:41 pm
#19
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
Ground beef is pretty pricey these day's, not like in the past when it was a cheap filler, it's actually pretty expensive these days all things considered, most meat is I find. If a roast is on sale, it can still be a good deal if its big enough to cut up and make several meals out of.
I eat a lot of cereal, a $3 box of corn flakes or bran flakes or raisin bran and a jug of milk can last me a week if my wife doesn't drink the milk....
My wife cooks more and eats eggs, and sandwiches for herself, sometimes I will have an egg or 2 or a sandwich.
One upside to stomach issues, I don't get all that hungry anymore, I got up at 9am today and didn't eat until almost 2p, never even crossed my mind to eat.
We budget about $50 per week for food typically.
I eat a lot of cereal, a $3 box of corn flakes or bran flakes or raisin bran and a jug of milk can last me a week if my wife doesn't drink the milk....
My wife cooks more and eats eggs, and sandwiches for herself, sometimes I will have an egg or 2 or a sandwich.
One upside to stomach issues, I don't get all that hungry anymore, I got up at 9am today and didn't eat until almost 2p, never even crossed my mind to eat.
We budget about $50 per week for food typically.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Oct 19th 2020 at 1:12 am.
Oct 19th 2020, 12:14 am
#20
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
When there's not that much left is when my stepson drinks most of what there is or even all of it but says nothing so I don't know that more is needed.
Conversely, when there's plenty he doesn't touch it. Last week I got a bag out of the freezer ready to take over when the carton was empty. It seems he then didn't touch a drop from the carton. He opened the bag today and it had gone off.
Oct 19th 2020, 2:57 am
#21
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
We got lucky with both ground beef and stew beef a couple of weeks ago ............ our Safeway/Sobeys advertised Value Packs of both. OH bought one of each, and they turned out larger than I anticipated from the flyer ......... the lean ground beef weighed just over 2kg, $8 plus some cents with $8 off. The stew beef weighed about the same, $9 plus some cents with about $8 off.
When I looked closely, the ground beef was best buy before that day's date, and the stew beef best buy before 2 days later. It made no difference as I intended to freeze it anyway. So we got 2 packets of ground, ca 1 kg each, and 2 packets of stew meat, ca 1 kg each, all in the freezer. As a reminder, 1 kg is just over 2 lbs.
Each of those will make a large casserole of some sort (or spaghetti sauce), that will give 2 helpings, plus 4 or 5 individual servings packaged for the freezer. I think that works out eventually for at least 24 meals in the future for a total cost of $17 for the meat.
When I looked closely, the ground beef was best buy before that day's date, and the stew beef best buy before 2 days later. It made no difference as I intended to freeze it anyway. So we got 2 packets of ground, ca 1 kg each, and 2 packets of stew meat, ca 1 kg each, all in the freezer. As a reminder, 1 kg is just over 2 lbs.
Each of those will make a large casserole of some sort (or spaghetti sauce), that will give 2 helpings, plus 4 or 5 individual servings packaged for the freezer. I think that works out eventually for at least 24 meals in the future for a total cost of $17 for the meat.
Oct 19th 2020, 3:50 am
#22
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
I wish more stores did the discount before the expiry, Safeway is the best at that. When we lived in Chilliwack there was a Safeway across the street, I would walk over every morning almost to go through their discount tubs.
Super Store sometimes has discounted stuff but its almost always not what I would call edible, brown and mushy unpleasant looking produce, meat that is discolored, so I wont touch their discounted stuff.
Wal-Mart is pretty sparse when it comes to discounted foods as well, although I did get some yogurt for 74 cents the other day that was about to hit its best by date.
Super Store sometimes has discounted stuff but its almost always not what I would call edible, brown and mushy unpleasant looking produce, meat that is discolored, so I wont touch their discounted stuff.
Wal-Mart is pretty sparse when it comes to discounted foods as well, although I did get some yogurt for 74 cents the other day that was about to hit its best by date.
Last edited by scrubbedexpat091; Oct 19th 2020 at 3:56 am.
Oct 19th 2020, 7:02 pm
#23
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
I wish more stores did the discount before the expiry, Safeway is the best at that. When we lived in Chilliwack there was a Safeway across the street, I would walk over every morning almost to go through their discount tubs.
Super Store sometimes has discounted stuff but its almost always not what I would call edible, brown and mushy unpleasant looking produce, meat that is discolored, so I wont touch their discounted stuff.
Wal-Mart is pretty sparse when it comes to discounted foods as well, although I did get some yogurt for 74 cents the other day that was about to hit its best by date.
Super Store sometimes has discounted stuff but its almost always not what I would call edible, brown and mushy unpleasant looking produce, meat that is discolored, so I wont touch their discounted stuff.
Wal-Mart is pretty sparse when it comes to discounted foods as well, although I did get some yogurt for 74 cents the other day that was about to hit its best by date.
I find Superstore has a fair amount of 50% fresh meat not at it's BB date yet. At least before Covid; I've not been since mid-March. Cheap fruit and veg rarely looked good. Our old Co-op was great on Wednesdays. Sobeys has very little.
Oct 20th 2020, 1:18 am
#24
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
Yeah a lot depends on the local market. Even in the same city stores vary within the same chain.
Safeway in Chilliwack lots of discounted stuff, the Safeway 10 mins down the rd in Sardis almost never....
Safeway in Chilliwack lots of discounted stuff, the Safeway 10 mins down the rd in Sardis almost never....
It's funny how things change from store to store even part of the same group.
I find Superstore has a fair amount of 50% fresh meat not at it's BB date yet. At least before Covid; I've not been since mid-March. Cheap fruit and veg rarely looked good. Our old Co-op was great on Wednesdays. Sobeys has very little.
I find Superstore has a fair amount of 50% fresh meat not at it's BB date yet. At least before Covid; I've not been since mid-March. Cheap fruit and veg rarely looked good. Our old Co-op was great on Wednesdays. Sobeys has very little.
Nov 13th 2020, 8:17 am
#25
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Re: Food insecurity in Canada
The issue is getting worse in Toronto and seems food banks are having trouble meeting demand.
Not a shocker that higher income workers are less likely to be affected overall and low income most likely to be affectsd.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...emic-1.5800335
Not a shocker that higher income workers are less likely to be affected overall and low income most likely to be affectsd.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toron...emic-1.5800335
