Reports & resources
Released: March 2025
This 2-page infographic summarizes findings from three of our resources related to household food insecurity published in 2023 and 2024.
This project is a special supplement to the Food Costing in BC 2022 report. This project aims to share experiences of food costs, food access and the impacts of climate change from people living in remote Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Read the report and stories to learn how issues of food cost and climate change are being described by people in six remote communities in BC.
Released: June 2024
Report: Food Costs and
Climate Change – Impact Stories from Remote BC Communities [link]
Website: Food Access in a Changing Climate - stories from six
remote communities in BC [link]
Analysis of household food insecurity in British Columbia, an update to the 2016 report. Released: October 2023
Food costing involves the biannual collection of food prices in grocery stores across BC in order to calculate the average monthly cost of an adequately nutritious diet. Regional health authority staff and volunteers collect food prices. Food costing was conducted in May/June 2022 using the National Nutritious Food Basket developed by Health Canada.
This report is for anyone interested in household food insecurity and who wants to assess the affordability of a healthy diet. It provides food cost data from across BC based on the National Nutritious Food Basket. The report also provides background on household food insecurity, the related health implications and calls to action to address household food insecurity.
The food costing methodology largely excludes remote and Indigenous communities, where there are few full-service grocery stores. It also does not capture costs such as transportation or cost of accessing traditional foods. BCCDC is leading a project to learn more about food cost and impacts of climate change in remote Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Stories from communities and recommendations will be shared later in 2023.
Released: May 2023
This project sought to develop a clear and consistent understanding of the two concepts from the public health perspective in BC. These definitions form a foundation from which public health and others outside the health sector can take action to address food security and food insecurity.
This policy brief reviews evidence on the drivers and consequences of food availability, accessibility and affordability in rural, remote and Indigenous communities that existed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and shares evidence and stories from BC on food security challenges that have surfaced or been amplified by the pandemic. Released: September 2022.
This work will replace the indicators developed in 2009 with evidence-based indicators that better reflect the context and breadth of food security work occurring in B.C. The indicators will inform policy and practice by demonstrating the current state of food security/household food insecurity in B.C.; reflect the impact of food security initiatives; and highlight where gaps exist and further work is needed to improve food security.
BCCDC developed the framework to guide the revision of existing, and development of new, food security indicators for B.C. It divides food security into three key elements and can help illustrate the causal relationships and interconnectedness between indicators once they are developed.
This document focuses on the literature review process and findings. The findings are summarized under four key themes identified as priorities by the health authorities and the Ministry of Health. The literature summarizes the available evidence for potential indicators and indicator areas.
Please contact foodsecurity@bccdc.ca to request any
resources published prior to 2016
