Healthy Eating

Nutritious Food Basket

The Nutritious Food Basket (NFB) is a survey tool that measures the cost of basic healthy eating based on national nutrition recommendations and average food purchasing patterns.

The information collected from the Nutritious Food Basket Survey is used to:

Monitor food affordability (the cost of healthy food) in Simcoe Muskoka.
Assess whether individual or family income is enough to cover the cost of healthy food and housing.
Support advocacy efforts to address the problem of inadequate incomes causing household food insecurity.

Key Messages

The monthly cost of healthy food for a reference family of four* in Simcoe County is $1135.59.
The monthly cost of healthy food for a reference family of four* in the District Municipality of Muskoka is $1190.62.
The monthly cost of healthy food for a reference family of four* in Simcoe Muskoka combined is $1159.92.
For people whose incomes are social assistance or minimum wage work, the cost of healthy food and rent is likely to use up most of their income, and in some cases uses all of it, and more. A reference family of four with income from Ontario Works would spend 95% of their income on healthy food and rent while an adult in a bachelor apartment with income from Ontario Works would need 161% of that income to pay for just healthy food and rent.

*The reference family of four includes a man and a woman each aged 31-50 years, a boy aged 14-18 years and a girl aged 4-8 years.

Note: NFB figures are regional averages only and are not appropriate for use as a food budgeting tool for individuals and families.

Is Income Enough to Pay for Healthy Food and Rent In Simcoe Muskoka?

The answer is no, not for everyone.

When earnings from one full-time minimum wage job are the income source for a family of four, 66% of the family’s income would be needed to pay for healthy food and rent alone - even with minimum wage at $15 per hour.

In comparison, a family of four with an estimated annual median income of $112,000 would need to spend 28% of their monthly income after-tax on healthy food and rent combined.

Unfortunately, year after year, the NFB survey results show that some Simcoe Muskoka residents living on low incomes do not have enough money for nutritious food and other basic needs. For people whose incomes are social assistance or minimum wage work, the cost of healthy food and rent is likely to use up most of their income, and in some cases uses all of it, and more.

For example, a reference family of four with income from Ontario Works would spend 95% of their income on healthy food and rent alone (see following chart and tables), leaving the remaining 5% - 8% to cover all other basic needs including, phone, transportation, clothing, school supplies, personal care items and more.

The situation is impossible for an adult in a bachelor apartment with income from Ontario Works. This individual would require 161% of that income to pay for healthy food and rent alone. In other words, this individual would require an additional $532 just to cover food and rent costs.

The situation is somewhat better for a senior living alone, receiving Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, with 79% of that income going to healthy food and rent.

Note: Due to the unique characteristics of each area, it is NOT appropriate to compare Simcoe and Muskoka results with one another. Disaggregated geographic information for Simcoe and Muskoka are presented at the bottom of the page.