PREPARED BY: Comprehensive Health Promotion

DATE: 2026-11-12

Household food insecurity (HFI) is inadequate or insecure access to food because of financial constraints. It is a marker of broader material deprivation: when household income is insufficient to cover rent, utilities, transportation, childcare, medication, and other necessities, food is often among the first expenses reduced or skipped. HFI has serious consequences for physical and mental health, the healthcare system, and overall social well-being. Evidence links HFI with perinatal mood disorders, birth complications, infant emergency department visits, developmental disorders, mental health disorders among adolescents and adults, cardiovascular disease, and poor oral health. HFI increasingly affects households across a range of income levels, including those with permanent, full-time employment. Income instability, debt, limited financial assets, and rising costs of basic needs can all increase risk.

Between 2023 and 2025, 25.1% of households in Windsor and Essex County (WEC) experienced food insecurity; in 2025 alone, the rate was 24.0%. The provincial rate for was 24.3%, for the same time-period. Locally and provincially, food insecurity rates have steadily risen since 2020, increasing by 6.3% locally, and 7% provincially.  In Ontario, household food insecurity is more prevalent among younger people than older people, with the highest prevalence among those under 18 years of age (36.2% between 2023 and 2025)1. Since 1998, the Ontario Public Health Standards have required local public health units to monitor food affordability through population health assessment and surveillance using the Ontario Nutritious Food Basket (ONFB) tool. The ONFB estimates the cost of basic eating based on current nutrition recommendations and average purchasing patterns. It also reflects current product availability and the growing use of online grocery platforms for food-price collection.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

In May 2026, WECHU staff used the ONFB hybrid costing tool and the infant formula costing tool to collect food-cost data directly from stores and through online retailers. Staff used these data to calculate costs for a range of local household income and family scenarios. The scenarios assess whether common sources of income leave households with enough money for food and other basic needs after rent is paid.

In 2026, the Ontario Nutritious Food Basket for a family of four in Windsor-Essex costs $293.98 per week ($1,277.34 per month), an 8.15% increase from 2025.

Table 1 presents selected income scenarios from the 2026 Real Cost of Eating in Windsor-Essex report. It compares monthly income with estimated rent and the 2026 ONFB cost. The scenarios suggest that inadequate income is a primary driver of household food insecurity, as even after accounting for rent and basic food costs, many households have insufficient money remaining for other expenses. In every scenario in which social assistance is the main income source, individuals and families have less than $1,000 per month for utilities, transportation, phone and internet service, clothing, medication, hygiene products, childcare, school costs, and other necessities.

*Note: Although the scenario for a breast-fed infant shows more income remaining at the end of the month than a formula-fed infant, it is important to understand that these scenarios do not account for all the costs of feeding an infant. It also assumes that the parent has enough nourishment and support to successfully initiate and sustain breastfeeding.

Household food insecurity and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are interconnected public health concerns. Food insecurity is closely associated with childhood adversity and may co-occur with adverse childhood experiences through shared social and economic risk factors. The likelihood and severity of food insecurity increase among children who experience multiple ACEs, largely because of overlapping risk factors such as poverty, parental mental health challenges, and substance use disorders. Given this close relationship, monitoring food affordability is essential. Cost-of-eating data identify economic pressures that can increase food insecurity and contribute to adverse health and social outcomes for children and families.

As part of its commitment to strengthening population health surveillance and transparency, the WECHU shares the Real Cost of Eating in Windsor-Essex report with local social planners, registered dietitians, and community partners to support program planning, public education, and advocacy efforts. The findings are also used internally to inform WECHU's public health nutrition priorities, including monitoring food affordability trends, identifying populations at greater risk of food insecurity, and advocating for policies that improve income and food access. This work is particularly important given the well-established links between food insecurity, poorer health outcomes, increased healthcare utilization, and higher healthcare system costs. In addition, Windsor-Essex Nutritious Food Basket data sets are an essential component of Ontario Living Wage calculations and are shared annually with the Ontario Living Wage Network. The 2026 Nutritious Food Basket data set was also provided to Public Health Ontario to help inform its forthcoming Food Insecurity and Food Affordability report, scheduled for release in 2027.

The full report will be available at www.wechu.org/healthy-eating/nutritious-food-basket.