Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) Resolution A24-05, June 2024
TITLE: Early Childhood Food Insecurity: An Emerging Public Health Problem Requiring Urgent Action
SPONSOR: Ontario Dietitians in Public Health
WHEREAS
Provincial action is urgently needed to protect young children 0-24 months of age from the harmful effects of household food insecurity; and
WHEREAS
alPHa’s advocacy efforts have long underscored the need for income-based solutions to food insecurity and have previously resolved on the following areas: A15-04 (Basic Income Guarantee), A18-02 (Minimum Wage that is a Living Wage), A18-4 (Extending the Ontario Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Nutritional Allowance to 24 Months), A18-05 (Adequate Nutrition for Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program Participants and Low Wage Earners), A23-05 (Monitoring Food Affordability); and
WHEREAS
food insecurity is a potent social determinant of health, and infants and young children are particularly susceptible to adverse effects of household food insecurity, including associated parental stress, lower breastfeeding rates, and financial barriers to accessing adequate infant formula, when needed; and
WHEREAS
when food insecurity results in early childhood malnutrition, infants and young children may experience growth faltering, compromised health, and cognitive impairments which may hinder their lifelong potential and result in considerable burden for the provincial health care system; and
WHEREAS
food prices including the price of infant formula have increased over the past year; and
WHEREAS
the Ontario Dietitians in Public Health and Food Allergy Canada has called on the Provincial government to amend the Ontario Drug Benefit program to support infants and children with a medical diagnosis*requiring strict avoidance of standard soy and milk proteins; and
WHEREAS
the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health passed the resolution Food Insecurity Compromises Infant Health in March 2024 in response to a notable local increase in infant food insecurity
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
that the Association of Local Public Health Agencies call on the Provincial government to optimize early growth and development among families most impacted by food insecurity and health inequities, by:
- Increasing the Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Nutritional Allowance and the Special Diet Allowance to ensure families reliant on Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program can afford the products they need to adequately nourish their infants.
- Expanding the Ontario Drug Benefit include specialized infant formulas for families whose children (0-24 months) have a medical diagnosis* requiring strict avoidance of standard soy and milk proteins.
AND FURTHER THAT
alPHa continues to advocate for income-related policies to reduce household food insecurity, especially for households with children where prevalence of food insecurity is highest.
