High Cost Of Food May Cause Health Risks

The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Annual Report on Canadians’ Health has revealed discrepancies between the cost and accessibility of basic healthy food within across the country.

Depending on where they live, some Canadians are paying more than double to almost six times the price for the same basic healthy food.

Heart and Stroke has called on the government to monitor and report on the price of staples to help create a level playing field for all Canadians and for food manufacturers, retailers and marketing boards.

This will help in determining food pricing and promotion inconsistencies within Canada.

Stephen Samis, Director of Health Policy, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada says, "many provincial governments regulate the price of alcohol across provinces, but healthy food is subject to significant price variations from one community to the next."

"You have to wonder why we control the price of alcohol but allow such price inconsistencies for healthy food – and not just in remote regions of the country – but even between larger metropolitan areas."

A national poll conducted by the Foundation found that 47 per cent of Canadians report going without fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products, whole grain products, lean meat or fish because they are too expensive.

68 per cent say price is "extremely" or "very" important when choosing which items make it into their grocery cart.

The reports says the price variations in healthy foods is even more disturbing when compared to the relatively stable price of pop, chips and cookies.

"Healthy eating is a key factor in preventing heart disease," says Dr. Beth Abramson, Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson and cardiologist.

"This report by the Heart and Stroke Foundation should serve as a wake-up call that healthy eating is in danger of being out of reach for many Canadians, a problem which may only get worse given the current downturn in the economy."

The following is a portion of the study from the Heart and Stroke Foundation:

In October, 2008 the Heart and Stroke Foundation recruited volunteer shoppers in 66 communities nationwide to purchase a list of food based on Health Canada’s National Nutritious Food Basket. This basket was originally created as a measure of food security – a term referring to the availability of healthy food and one’s access to it. The Foundation adapted the food basket for this study to feed a family of four for one week. To ensure consistency, the leading national brands by dollar share on a 52-week average were chosen according to AC Nielsen data. Shoppers were asked to choose a national or regional grocery chain in their community that was not considered a discount grocery store. All shopping was conducted between October 15 and 25, 2008. This first-ever cross-country shop revealed some dramatic variations in the price of basic healthy food from milk and lean ground beef to apples and potatoes.

The following charts reflect the four basic food groups as defined by Canada’s Food Guide and show the top five communities with the highest and lowest prices for some of the foods purchased in the Foundation’s survey.

Fruit and vegetable prices fluctuate wildly

Extreme cost variations in fruit and vegetables were found across the country and even within a province. For example, six apples ranged from $0.90 in Peterborough, Ont, to $7.64 in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut; a 2.7 kg bag of potatoes ranged from $1.50 in Toronto to $8.19 in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.

Some of the most disturbing data is reflected in the price variations in grain products. For example, a package of whole-wheat pasta that cost $2.00 in Barrie, Ont, was $7.90 in Regina, SK and $11.37 in Dawson, Yukon. A bag of brown rice ranged from $2.19 in Toronto to $7.76 in Winnipeg to $11.99 in Rankin Inlet. These represent approximately four-fold and six-fold increases in prices.

"Previous research funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation has shown us that, independent of any other heart disease risk factor, diets rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grains may decrease your risk of heart disease by as much as 30 percent," says Dr. Marco Di Buono, Director of Research, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario.

Dairy Products show wide variation

In the case of both milk and cheese, the average cost of these two staples in the five communities with the highest prices is more than double the average price in the five communities with the lowest prices.

Meat and alternatives also experience wide fluctuations. In both cases, products found in the highest priced communities were more than twice as expensive as the average cost in the lowest priced communities.

Overall, fruit, vegetables and dairy accounted for almost 40% of the cost of the grocery bill almost everywhere in the country, except Nunavut and the NWT where they accounted for closer to 50% of the grocery bill. These price variations may help to explain why almost half of Canadian adults and 70% of Canadian children don’t consume the minimum recommended servings of vegetables and fruit from Canada’s Food Guide and one third of Canadian children aren’t consuming the recommended servings of milk products.

Inexpensive chips and pop found in almost every community

The wide price variations in healthy foods from one community to the next is even more troubling when compared to the relatively stable prices of pop, chips and cookies − foods Canada’s Food Guide recommends we consume less frequently. The Foundation included such items in the shopping cart to compare their affordability and accessibility. These unhealthy snacks are the only items that showed little price variation across the country. To view the price comparison chart for unhealthy snacks go to: http://www.heartandstroke.ca/reportcard.