A weekly trip to a local grocery store to purchase nutritious food for a family of four in Windsor-Essex now costs around $241.66.
That's according to a recent study conducted by the Windsor Essex County Health Unit.
The health unit came to this price by calculating the average of the lowest retail price of 61 food items in 11 area grocery stores. All of the food items meet the recommendations from Canada's Food Guide.
The report states this makes it difficult for people living on minimum wage, Ontario Works, or the Ontario Disabilities Support Program to purchase nutritious food.
Often people are put in the position to cut their food budget to pay for other living expenses. They say this could result in a poor diet which, over time, can lead to an increased risk of chronic illness, and poor growth and development in children.
In 2019, the same nutritious food basket in Windsor-Essex would have cost $211.20. The report was not completed in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic.
