The amount of food a household can afford depends on its resources available, the constraints it faces, and food prices. Understanding the impact of food prices on food security is especially important considering current inflationary pressures on vulnerable households. During this session, we will begin with an overview of present knowledge on food prices, food insecurity, and how these intersect with the impact of assistance programs, which are often not adjusted for inflation in a timely manner. We will hear from Food Banks Canada on the latest research on food bank usage and present-day challenges of raising food costs on food insecure Canadians. Lastly, we will share key policy recommendations that can help reduce the number of people who need to access food banks.
Session sponsored by General Mills
Dr. House is a Professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba. He completed his Ph.D. in amino acid nutrition and metabolism from the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada in 1996. Since arriving at the University of Manitoba in 1998, he has maintained research programs in 3 primary areas: 1) understanding factors regulating sulphur amino acid metabolism in animals; 2) sustainable egg production systems, including novel value-added egg products; and 3) determining factors influencing the quality of dietary proteins. His research program has trained 40 graduate students and 15 post-doctoral fellows, as well as over 40 undergraduate research assistants. His research program has advanced our understanding of factors affecting the utilization of plant- and animal-based protein sources in the human diet. He has received awards from the Canadian Society of Animal Science, the Canadian Society of Nutritional Sciences (now the Canadian Nutrition Society), as well as awards for merit and administrative service from the University of Manitoba. Dr. House has served as President for the Canadian Nutrition Society (2018) and was recently elected (2021) as a member of the Board of Trustees for the newly established Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS). His research program is funded via NSERC Discovery Grants, as well as numerous tripartite funding programs involving industry and government partners. He is the program lead for the Manitoba Protein Research Strategy.