Nutrition North Canada programs results

Choose a topic

• Results from 2011-2016
• How the subsidy was spent in 2015-2016
• Revised Northern Food Basket
• Average community food prices
• From Food Mail to Nutrition North Canada

Results from 2011-2016

The results are clear – Nutrition North Canada (NNC) has succeeded in reducing prices of eligible food in isolated northern communities, and in increasing the amount of perishable nutritious food available.

Between April 2011 and March 2015, the cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket for a family of four was on average 5 percent or approximately $94 per month lower than in March 2011. According to Statistics Canada, food prices elsewhere in Canada increased by approximately 9.9 percent during the same time period, or more than 4 percent in 2014-2015. Between 2011 and 2016, the average volume of eligible items shipped to northern isolated communities increased by approximately 25 percent, compared to the final year of the Food Mail Program. About 127.8 million kilograms of eligible items were subsidized, an average increase of about 5.5 million kilograms annually; and 103 isolated northern communities benefited from NNC.

Results also indicate that the nutrition education initiatives funded by Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada have increased knowledge of healthy eating and improved skills to choose and prepare nutritious foods. In 2015-16, more than 1,500 nutrition education activities were delivered in communities. Outcomes observed by NNC community workers include: increased awareness of healthy foods; interest and skills in gardening, healthy eating, and cooking; children and youth preparing food for others; demand for certain activities (e.g. community cooking sessions); and partnerships in the community.

How the subsidy was spent in 2015-2016

In 2015-2016, 96 percent of NNC's food subsidy was spent on perishable nutritious food. This pie graph shows how much of the subsidy was spent in each food category, including country food. The 96 percent was calculated by adding the four largest subsidized food categories together (37% + 25% + 22% + 12% = 96%). For more information, see the Nutrition North Canada Reports on the subsidy.

Revised Northern Food Basket

The Revised Northern Food Basket (RNFB) measures the cost of a nutritious diet for a family of four for one week using 67 standard food items. It is used by NNC to monitor the cost of healthy eating in isolated northern communities.

The food in the basket weighs approximately 52 kilograms. It was chosen based on food consumption surveys of Inuit and First Nations conducted by INAC and other researchers. Some food items were replaced with more nutritious alternatives (for example, canola oil replaces corn oil) and the quantity of some food items was adjusted, where necessary, to meet the recommendations in Canada's Food Guide.

Each month registered northern retailers provide retail prices for the food in the RNFB. INAC reviews the food prices and calculates the cost of the RNFB using average community food prices. INAC follows up with individual retailers if there are any missing or irregular prices. This information is also used to make decisions about subsidy rates and eligible communities.

Not all of the food in the RNFB is eligible for a subsidy because it is cheaper for retailers and customers to ship non-perishable food such as rice and dry pasta by winter roads, sealift or barge. Find out more on the eligible food webpage.

Average community food prices

The cost of the basket is calculated using an average price for each of the 67 food items it contains. The average price is for a specific package size based on all brands available in the store. For example, in the case of fresh 2% milk, the average price of a 2L carton (the most popular size) is determined using the price of every brand of milk available in the store. This is used to calculate the cost of 4.76L of 2% milk, the total amount in the RNFB.

If more than one store provided price information for a particular community, an average of all stores is used to determine the RNFB cost for that community.

In some communities, the RNFB cost is not available because there is only one store in the community and it is not a registered NNC northern retailer, or the price data is not complete, or not available for all periods.

Sometimes, the RNFB in communities with two stores is calculated using prices from only one store because one of the stores is not registered with NNC but accesses the subsidy by purchasing products from registered southern suppliers, or the price data from one store is not complete, or not available from both stores for all periods.

Find out more in the annual reports on the cost of the RNFB published by INAC as part of its commitment to transparency.

From Food Mail to Nutrition North Canada

After a series of reviews and evaluations, Nutrition North Canada (NNC) replaced the Food Mail program as of April 1, 2011. NNC addresses the weaknesses of the previous program including food eligibility, public awareness of the program, transparency and accountability in shipping and food prices, delivery logistics and the need for culturally appropriate food in the North. Over-all results from the first five years of NNC can be found in the Results from 2011 to 2016 section. More specific food savings results for two communities, Rankin Inlet and Tuktoyaktuk can be found in this table. According to the most recent data available, the cost of the Revised Northern Food Basket decreased by 3.5 percent between March 2011 and March 2015 in Rankin Inlet; and by 10.2 percent in Tuktoyaktuk. The food price data used in this table was provided by NorthWest Company, a registered Northern retailer with NNC.