The cost of a basket of healthy food is rising every year, and an affordable food advocate is calling for a long-term solution.

According to the provincial government, the cost of a basket of nutritious food for a family of four will be an average of $333 per week in 2023. That’s eight percent more than last year and more than inflation, notes Josh Smee, CEO of Food First NL.

“Food prices are rising much faster than overall prices, and that’s why food is playing an increasingly larger role in people’s financial crisis,” he told CBC News.

The NL Nutritious Food Basket data – from the Ministry of Finance’s Newfoundland and Labrador Statistics Agency – calculates annually how much it costs to follow the Canada Food Guide’s recommended diet.

According to the latest report, those purchasing nutritious food in eastern Newfoundland spend the least in the province: $317 per week for a four-person household. In central Newfoundland, the cost is $344 per week and on the island’s west coast, $363. People on the northern peninsula would spend $388.

The report estimates that a household of four on Labrador’s north coast would spend $509 per week on nutritious food, while people in the central west region would spend $359. The food basket on the south coast is estimated at $427.

Smee pointed out that the amounts spent on purchasing healthy food varied across the province.

“Across the province, food prices are higher the further north and in the countryside you are. But that’s also true in the area west of St. John’s,” said Smee.

According to previous Nutritious Food Basket reports, costs have been steadily rising across the province. A decade ago, households in the eastern region spent $237. In central Newfoundland, the amount was $249 and in western Newfoundland, $250. In central-western Labrador, the amount was estimated at $243.

“What we’re seeing here is that this is a long-term problem that is not just cost inflation like in the pandemic era. This is a bigger deal and something we need to address as a long-term policy issue,” Smee said.

He said these prices reflect the way the supply chain works in the Netherlands, as much food arrives in St. John’s before being distributed, increasing costs.

“You can clearly see that from the numbers.”

Income gaps

Smee said basic income support does not cover the cost of recommended healthy diets.

“It is no wonder that people who rely on income support are very likely to suffer from food insecurity,” he added.

He said there are people who use all the government benefits available to them, but if they buy food based on the recommended healthy diet, they spend more than half their income on food.

“Because if you cut corners, you’re at the wrong end, right? If you don’t give people enough money to afford food, those costs don’t go away. They’re simply paid for by the health care system.”

Smee said that while families can take action to combat rising food prices, such as taking advantage of discounts in stores or growing their own food, the government also has a long-term role to play in solving food insecurity.

“I think this is fundamentally not something that can be solved at the budget level. It is a question of public policy.”

Access to food must be viewed in the context of a human rights issue, he said.

“But we don’t treat it that way and we don’t develop policies that would allow access to something that is such a fundamental right.”

He said the Netherlands has the highest rate of severe food insecurity in the country and that one in four families in the province is considered food insecure.

This time of year is also difficult for many families preparing to send their children back to school, which comes with additional costs, he added.

“We know that people will compromise on their food budget when other expenses arise,” Smee said.

There is reason for optimism, said Smee, pointing to the government’s commitment to provide universal school meals to all students up to grade 9.

However, he said the food retail sector was “very much dominated by monopolies” and income support and wages could not keep pace with rising food prices.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push notifications from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.