MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO — The Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security gathered over 160 people for its annual symposium on Oct. 16 to hear from program experts, policymakers, community leaders and researchers about what’s needed to address Canada’s food insecurity crisis.

The center notes that nearly 9 million people in Canada experienced food insecurity last year, including one in four children. The need has spiked food bank usage to unprecedented levels, with one in 10 Torontonians now relying on food banks. According to a recent Feed Ontario report, more than 1 million people visited a food bank in the province in 2023.

The symposium emphasized the importance of working across sectors, including political parties and jurisdictions to implement and scale solutions for the growing problem.

“Food insecurity has an enormous impact on health, life span, self-worth, academic success and employment,” said Michael McCain, honorary chair of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security. “And as we neglect people when they are at their most vulnerable, we erode the integrity and strength of our society. We need more expansive, impactful solutions. Food insecurity will not be solved by food donations no matter how good those donations make us feel. We need to press for more equitable and healthier societies with a safety net no one falls below.”

Andrew Furey, premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, highlighted the work underway in Manitoba, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Furey is focusing on the intersection of health and food access, as investments in food security both improve health and strengthen the economy.

“We can’t afford not to make these investments as they bring both economic and social returns,” Furey said. 

Other panels at the symposium covered advancements in food prescribing in the United States as a means to address the epidemic of diet-related diseases, and how to build the food prescribing movement in Canada, while supporting culturally diverse food needs.

“Food insecurity in Canada is a deeply entrenched issue that demands our collective focus and action,” said Sarah Stern, executive director of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security. “How can it be that, in a nation as wealthy as ours, millions of people face impossible choices between feeding their families and paying for basic needs like rent, medication or utilities? We know what is needed, including an adequate disability benefit that could lift 50% of food insecurity people above the age of 15 out of deep poverty.”

First formed in 2016, the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security is a registered charity committed to working collaboratively to reduce food insecurity in Canada by 50% by 2030. The center advocates for critical public policies and invests in knowledge building and programs that advance the capacity of communities to achieve food security.