Ontario Dietitians in Public Health (ODPH) appreciates the opportunity to offer input on Ontario’s 2026 budget consultation. ODPH is the professional association of Registered Dietitians (RDs) working in Ontario’s public health system. We are recognized leaders in public health nutrition representing local public health agencies across Ontario. One of ODPH’s key priorities is working towards effective solutions to reduce household food insecurity (HFI).
HFI is the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints (Li et al., 2023). The experience of HFI can range from worrying about not having enough food (marginal HFI), to the inability to afford a balanced diet and/or missing meals (moderate HFI), to extreme cases of not eating for days (severe HFI). HFI is a critical indicator of a household’s financial situation and a highly sensitive measure of material deprivation, making it an important measure for guiding policy decisions.
Among households reporting HFI, those reliant on social assistance experience the highest prevalence and severity of HFI. In 2023, 70% of households relying on Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) were food-insecure and 43% were severely so (PROOF, 2025a). Ontario’s social assistance rates remain far below the poverty line ‒ most recipients living in deep poverty earn less than 75% of the Market Basket Measure, Canada’s Official Poverty Line (Laidley & Oliviera, 2025). Although Ontario does provide limited nutrition-related financial supports, such as the Pregnant and Breastfeeding Nutritional Allowance and the Special Diet Allowance, these allowances are far below what is needed to meet basic nutritional requirements. HFI is strongly linked to income. As income decreases, both the risk and severity of HFI increases, making income-based policy solutions critical.
The urgency is evident with severe HFI in Ontario rising markedly from 4.8% of households in 2022 to 7.9% in 2024 (Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2025). HFI is a major financial liability for Ontario’s healthcare system. Adults living with HFI account for a disproportionate share of health care costs, including mental health-related emergency visits and hospitalizations, with the greatest costs associated with severe HFI (PROOF, ND). Without effective policy action, HFI will continue to escalate with worsening consequences to Ontario’s economic progress and to the health and well-being of Ontarians.
ODPH recommends increasing social assistance rates and nutritional allowances to reflect actual costs of living and indexing Ontario Works rates to inflation.
Recommendation 1: Increase Ontario Works (OW) rates to align with the actual cost of food and housing and index rates to inflation annually.
OW rates have not increased since October 1, 2018, despite an inflation rate of more than 20% since then, significantly reducing purchasing power and living standards (Tabarra and Laidley, 2024).
Food cost data collected in May-June 2024 by 32 Ontario public health units were compiled and compared to OW incomes for various household scenarios. The analysis found that these households are unlikely to be able to afford the cost of food needed to meet the nutritional needs of all household members. Further, estimated monthly rent and other basic living costs exceed OW shelter and basic needs allowances by approximately $1000-$2000 per month (Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2025).
Recommendation 2: Increase Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) rates to align with the actual cost of food and housing.
ODPH commends the Ontario government’s efforts to support vulnerable Ontarians, including increasing the earned income exemption for ODSP from $200 to $1000 and indexing ODSP rate increases to inflation that began in July 2023. However, further action is needed to strengthen income security for ODSP recipients.
Food cost data collected in May-June 2024 by 32 public health units showed that a single adult and a single pregnant adult receiving ODSP would need to spend approximately 30% of their monthly income to afford a nutritionally adequate diet. This would leave just over $1,000 per month for rent and all other living expenses, estimated to exceed $2,100 per month (Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2025).
Recommendation 3: Increase the Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Nutritional Allowance and Special Diet Allowance for all eligible conditions.
The monthly allocations in the OW and ODSP Policy Directives for the Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Nutritional Allowance (PBNA) (ODSP Policy Directive 6.5 and OW Policy Directive 6.5) and Special Diet Allowance (SDA) (ODSP Policy Directive 6.4 and OW Policy Directive 6.6) have not increased in over a decade, even though the cost of food and infant formula have increased significantly.
Food cost data collected in May-June 2024 by 32 public health units, and compared with ODSP for a single adult, showed that 29% of monthly income would be required to purchase a nutritionally adequate diet. This would leave just over $1,000 per month for rent and all other living expenses, estimated to exceed $2,100 per month (Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2025).
Conclusion
The analyses of Ontario’s income security programs to actual cost of nutritious food and estimates of other living costs provide compelling evidence of the insufficiency of OW and ODSP, resulting in high risk of severe food insecurity, which is related to poorer health and well-being (Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2025).
ODPH calls for immediate and sustained investment to increase social assistance rates and nutritional allowances in Ontario. Without bold, measurable action, HFI will continue to undermine community well-being, strain municipal resources, deepen inequities and increase pressure on Ontario’s health care system. Investing in income security is both a social responsibility and an economic imperative.
References
Government of Ontario, Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. (2025) News Release: Ontario Raising Minimum Wage to Protect Workers. Available at: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006550/ontario-raising-minimum-wage-to-protect-workers
Laidley J, Oliveira T. (2025) Welfare in Canada, 2024. Maytree. Retrieved from: https://maytree.com/
Li T, Fafard St-Germain AA, Tarasuk V. (2023) Household food insecurity in Canada, 2022. Toronto: Research to identify policy options to reduce food insecurity (PROOF). Retrieved from: https://proof.utoronto.ca/
Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). (2025) Food insecurity & food affordability in Ontario. Toronto, ON: King’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/Health-Topics/Health-Equity
Ontario Dietitians in Public Health. (2020) Position Statement and Recommendations on Responses to Food Insecurity. Available at: https://odph.ca/section/food-insecurity/
Ontario Living Wage Network. (2025) Updated 2025 Rates. Available at: https://www.ontariolivingwage.ca/updated_2025_rates
PROOF (Food Insecurity Policy Research). (2025a) Ontario Election 2025: Putting a plan for adequate social assistance on the table. Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/2025/ontario-election-2025-putting-a-plan-for-adequate-social-assistance-on-the-table/
PROOF (Food Insecurity Policy Research). (2025b) New data on household food insecurity in 2024. Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/2025/new-data-on-household-food-insecurity-in-2024/
PROOF (Food Insecurity Policy Research). (ND) What are the implications of food insecurity for health and health care? Available at: https://proof.utoronto.ca/food-insecurity/what-are-the-implications-of-food-insecurity-for-health-and-health-care/
Tabbara M and Laidley J. (2024) Too many income supports still aren’t indexed. Maytree. Available at: https://maytree.com/publications/too-many-income-supports-still-arent-indexed/
Tarasuk V, Li T, Fafard St-Germain AA. (2022) Household food insecurity in Canada, 2021. Toronto: Research to identify policy options to reduce food insecurity (PROOF). Retrieved from: https://proof.utoronto.ca/
