Food Banks Across Canada Experience Overwhelming Demand with Almost Two Million Visits in One Month
The 2023 Hunger Count report shows that food bank visits in Canada have increased by 78.5% since 2019, and 32.1% since 2022. This annual report reflects almost two million food bank visits in the month of March, 2023, spanning more than 4,750 food banks and community organizations in Canada. The report offers insight into the root causes of food insecurity and poverty issues in our country.
The devastating impact of rapid inflation and inadequate social supports on poverty, food insecurity and hunger are highlighted:
- Food bank use rose to the highest levels in Canadian history in 2023.
- Food bank use among people who are employed continued to increase to record levels. In 2023, 17% of food bank clients reported employment as their main source of income, compared to 12% in 2019.
- The top reasons people accessed a food bank this year were food costs, housing costs, low wages or not enough hours of work.
- One third of food bank clients are children (representing over 600,000 food bank visits in March 2023).
- To create a Canada where no one is left behind, and no one goes hungry, all levels of government must adopt a dual approach to address the root causes of food bank use by addressing low incomes and poverty and the skyrocketing costs of living.
Published By: Food Banks Canada
Publication Date: October 25, 2023
Click here to access the HungerCount report website
Click here to download the full HungerCount 2023 report (81-page PDF)
Click here to access information from FeedNiagara
