Inuit Food Insecurity in Canada

Far too many Canadian Inuit struggle with food insecurity. Food insecurity exists when a person does not have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. This can range from not having the ability to afford a balanced diet, to not being able to eat culturally acceptable foods, to missing meals or not eating for days at a time. Food insecurity is a serious public health concern because of its close ties to a person’s well-being.

Adults in food insecure households tend to have poorer physical and mental health, including higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and depression. Food insecurity also has very negative consequences for children’s cognitive, academic and psychosocial development. For Inuit, the impacts of food insecurity also extend to cultural well-being because of the continued importance of country foods such as seal, whale, and fish harvested from the local environment.

Photo credit: Sara Statham

Food Insecurity Crisis

Food insecurity has reached crisis levels in all four Inuit regions.In one Inuit region, 70% of Inuit adults were found to be living in food insecure households. This is six times higher than the Canadian national average and represents the highest documented food insecurity prevalence rate for any Indigenous population residing in a developed country.

Photo credit: Sara Statham

Food Insecurity Challenges

Food insecurity persists in Inuit communities for multiple reasons. These factors, among others, make it difficult for many Inuit to have adequate access to an acceptable amount and quality of healthy food.

Food Costs

Market foods, or food shipped from southern areas, tend to be very expensive in Inuit communities because of the distance the food has to travel and the higher infrastructure costs in the north.

Perishable Foods

Nutritious perishables are also prone to spoilage because of the shipping required to bring them into communities, which can result in poor quality products.

Cost of Equiptment

The cost of gas, ammunition and snowmobile can also make country food unobtainable.

Negative Impacts

Climate change, resource extraction and contaminants are also negatively impacting the ability for Inuit to access country food.

Addressing food insecurity in Inuit communities is a complex challenge.

A combination of approaches is needed that build on the work of initiatives at the community level up to policy and program implementation at the national level. The solutions must then in turn be informed by Inuit if they are to be meaningful and result in lasting change.