As food prices are expected to climb again in 2025, health officials in London warn that rising costs are intensifying an already severe food-insecurity crisis in the region.
Canada’s Food Price Report, published by Dalhousie University, projects grocery costs will increase between three and five per cent next year. The report estimates a family of four will spend about $16,833 on food in 2025, roughly $800 more than this year.
While the national report highlights broad financial strain, the Middlesex-London Health Unit says the local situation is far worse. “In 2024, 31.3 per cent of households in Middlesex-London were food insecure. This amounts to one in three households,” said Kim Loupos, a Public Health Dietitian with the health unit. She said the trend has been rising sharply for several years. “In 2023, it was one in four households, and in 2022, it was one in six. Unfortunately, this is a rising trend we’ve seen over recent years.”
Loupos said food insecurity rarely exists on its own and is closely tied to other pressures such as housing and income. “Food insecurity, housing affordability and poverty are all very connected,” she said. “When households have difficulty affording food, they typically have difficulty affording their other basic needs, including housing, because they don’t have enough income.” She added that London continues to see rising homelessness and growth in food-bank usage, although food-bank visits significantly undercount the number of people facing food insecurity. “Many people who are food insecure use food banks as a last resort,” she said.
When asked what intervention would have the most immediate impact, Loupos pointed to income-based policies. “Adequate incomes for everyone to afford food and other things,” she said, describing a widening gap between what households earn and what basic living costs demand. “We really do need income-based solutions to get at the root causes of food insecurity and poverty.”
Loupos said Ontario’s poverty-reduction strategy, which expires this year, presents an opportunity for change as the province collects public feedback for its next five-year plan. “Anyone, individuals, organizations, employers can submit feedback about their experiences and ideas for poverty reduction,” she said. The consultation closes Nov. 30.
The health unit will release updated local food-affordability data ahead of its Dec. 11 board meeting. Loupos said the new figures will provide a clearer picture of how households are coping as food costs are expected to rise again in 2026.
