Here's how much it costs to feed a family of four in Ottawa

A produce aisle is seen in this file photo of a grocery store.

Ottawa Public Health says the cost to feed a family of four in Ottawa is leaving people on fixed or low incomes to choose between paying for rent and utilities or buying groceries.

The Nutritious Food Basket is an annual analysis that Ottawa Public Health conducts about food prices at local grocery stores. It calculates the average lowest cost of 61 food items at 14 grocery stores, looking at vegetables and fruit, protein foods, whole grains and fats and oils.

The 2022 Nutritious Food Basket shows it costs $1,088 per month to feed a family of four in Ottawa.

"The results of the NFB survey consistently show that individuals and families living on fixed or low incomes do not have enough funds remaining at the end of the month to afford their bills while also putting healthy food on the table," says a report for the Ottawa Board of Health meeting on Nov. 7.

The report shows a family of four (two adults and two children, aged 8 and 14) with a median income of $9,323 would pay $1,881 for rent and $1,088 for a nutritious diet, leaving the family with $6,354 in remaining funds.

A family of four on Ontario Works (two adults and two children, aged 8 and 14) with a median income of $2,760 would have a $209 deficit at the end of the month after paying the average rent and grocery bill.

An individual on Ontario Works with an income of $863 would face a deficit of $588 at the end of the month after paying $1,059 for rent and $392 for groceries, according to the report.

Ottawa Public Health says solutions are needed to address the root cause of food insecurity to help people afford the cost of living, including social assistance programs that pay adequate benefits, jobs that pay a living wage, affordable housing and public transit and a basic income guarantee.

The health unit will host a webinar to discuss the Nutritious Food Basket on Nov. 23.

The Ottawa Food Bank said Thursday visits to the Food Bank are up 12 per cent since March, and 15 per cent since last year.