Inflation problems take precedence over healthy eating for most Canadians: federal audit report

Inflation concerns have taken precedence over healthy eating for many Canadians, as less than a third of the population consumes the minimum daily serving of fruits and vegetables recommended by the country’s official food guide, according to a federal audit report.

Published on June 12, the report is noted Canada’s Food Guide, launched by the government’s Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion (ONPP) in 2019, is not “reflective of the changing food environment” faced by Canadians.

“The food guide was released in advance of the recent rise in food costs due to inflation and does not currently recognize growing food availability and affordability issues in Canada,” said the report, prepared by Health Canada’s Office of Audit and Evaluation (OAE), that evaluates ONPP’s performance.

As first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, the audit found that “there has been a decline in fruit and vegetable consumption.”

“Slightly less than half of the population uses ONPP’s dietary guidelines and only a quarter of the population consumes the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables,” the report said.

The comment was based on findings in 2021-22 that indicated 44.3 percent of Canadians followed the nutrition guide and only 25.4 percent reported eating fruits and vegetables five or more times a day — below the stated target of 30 percent .

Findings in previous years didn’t fare much better, the report noted. In 2017-18, Canadians using the guide made up 46.5 percent and 28.6 percent ate recommended portions. In 2016-2017, 40.7 percent of the population adopted the guidelines and, in particular, 30 percent met the target for fruit and vegetable consumption.

Challenges

The 2019 food guide recommended that Canadians avoid luncheon meats, fruit juice, sugary breakfast cereals, store-made cakes and cookies in favor of more raw fruits, seeds and whole grains, fish, eggs and poultry.

The OAU report acknowledged that Canadians face challenges in choosing nutritious foods amid the “increasing and ready availability” of “highly processed foods” in today’s food environment.

“Some nutritious foods are not only harder to find, they can also be more expensive,” the reviewers wrote. “In addition, recommended foods such as nuts and seeds or fruits may not be readily available or unaffordable in some parts of the country.”

Prices for most recommended foods have risen sharply since 2019. Canada’s Statistics “Monthly average selling prices for selected productscompiled since the publication of the food guide shows that Canadians pay:

• 10 percent more for salmon from $25.76 per kilo to an average of $28.21;
• 15 percent for sunflower seeds from $4.01 per 400 grams to $4.62;
• 22 percent for dried beans from $2.94 per 900 grams to $3.60;
• 23 percent for chicken breasts from $11.97 per kilogram to $14.68;
• 25 percent for dried lentils from $3.17 per 900 grams to $3.97;
• 29 percent for oranges from $3.23 per kilo to $4.18;
• 32 percent for apples from $4.36 per kilo to $5.76;
• 36 percent for eggs from $3.30 a dozen to $4.50;
• 44 percent more for carrots from $2.89 per kilo to $4.16.

The OAU report added that external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the influence of social media also “play an important role” in influencing Canadians’ eating habits.