Progress on the Right to Food
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At Food First NL, our mission is to “Advance everyone’s right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
The right to food isn’t just a phrase. It’s a defined concept, written into international agreements which Canada has signed. It is not, however, a human right written into provincial human rights legislation. Meaning you can’t pursue a right-to-food case with the Human Rights Commission.
“... the right to food is the right to have regular, permanent and unrestricted access—either directly or by means of financial purchases— to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of the people to which the consumer belongs, and which ensure a physical and mental, individual and collective, fulfilling and dignified life free of fear.”
— United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food
The United Nations’ definition highlights an important point: food isn’t just about calories. It’s about meaning, dignity, and fulfillment in our lives.
The Right to Food in 2025
So, what did 2025 bring for the right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador? It was a tough year.
Food Insecurity Quickly Getting Worse
Data on food insecurity has a one-year lag, so in 2025, we got numbers from 2024. They showed that food insecurity continues to rise in the province, and fast. N.L. and Quebec were tied for the biggest increase in food insecurity over the year.
For the first time, more than 30% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are experiencing food insecurity (30.1%). That is a shocking number — a sharp increase from 2023 (26%) and almost triple the rate in 2011 (10.6%). These increases reflect a national trend.
One bright spot, if you can call it that, is that our rate of severe food insecurity (a.k.a hunger) decreased from 8.7% to 8.3%. In last year’s version of this report, we highlighted some policy changes that we expected would have this impact, so it's good to see the data reflect that. That said, N.L. still has the third-highest rate of hunger in Canada — so there’s a lot more to do here.
Food Prices Stabilizing... Maybe?
In 2025, food prices were top of mind, and the cost of living was a dominant policy issue. Unfortunately, the data don’t present a very clear picture here. Once again, there’s a one-year lag on some of the data, so we're looking at food prices from 2024.
N.L. Nutritious Food Basket data, which uses in-store price checks, showed food prices stabilizing. Prices increased just under 1% on average in the province. That is quite a bit lower than overall inflation in Canada, measured through the Consumer Price Index (which was 2.4%)
That said, the Canada Food Price Report's provincial breakdown of the CPI's food data found a 3.8% increase in food prices. A figure well ahead of overall inflation.
There is clearly some work needed to understand why these two methods differ so widely.
That said, when you look at 2021 through 2024 together, the two measurements tell almost the exact same story: a 21% rise in food prices. That is a huge increase for most households to absorb, and one that hits low-income households (who spend a bigger portion of their budget on food) the hardest.
Election Impacts
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians went to the polls at every level last year — municipal, provincial, and federal.
There were plenty of surprises in the results. Going into 2025, few would have predicted a change in provincial government and no change in federal government. Both of those things came to pass.
Both provincial and federal governments are in their early days, so the impacts on the right to food remain to be seen. The federal government’s 2025 budget was not encouraging. However, a recent announcement of additional measures added a bit more positive impact. We are very interested to see what a national food security strategy will look like. The provincial government's new policy platform contains some very promising ideas, but we're waiting to see which ones show up in the budget.
The Trade War
The emergence of a trade war with the United States was a huge issue in 2025, with wide-ranging impacts on our food systems. Retaliatory tariffs on the Canadian side increased food prices, adding to the inflationary pressures we’re already feeling. American tariffs lowered incomes for food producers — like the seafood industry — who export some of their harvest.
On the other hand, in 2025, we also saw people, businesses, and governments pulling together around responses to the trade war. There’s real potential for some of these initiatives to have a positive impact on the right to food. Important conversations are happening about closing infrastructure gaps, reducing regulatory barriers, and solving policy issues that impact our access to food.
A New Coalition Emerges
Poverty is the thread that connects so many different challenges in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primary barrier to people’s right to food, and it impacts everything from mental health to housing to access to social connection. Recognizing that, a new anti-poverty coalition came together in 2025. Now, dozens of organizations are working together on this critical issue. We are proud to be a part of it.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Looking at all the surprises from last year reminds us that it’s impossible to predict what will happen with our food systems. That said, we can clearly see some things coming that are likely to be big drivers of change in 2026.
A New Strategic Approach From the Provincial Government?
In their election platform, the PC Party promised to develop a new poverty reduction strategy and a new agricultural strategy. Both of these are sorely needed in these rapidly changing times.
We know that the province's last poverty reduction strategy, in the 2010s, had a huge positive impact on food insecurity. This strategy is still often cited as best practice by the national organizations we work with. There is a real opportunity to be a leading jurisdiction in Canada again.
The big question, though, is what measures and initiatives will be undertaken while they are building a new strategy. Food First NL and our partners will be advocating strongly for immediate action.
An Unclear Picture From Ottawa
At the federal level, some promising ideas are moving forward. We were happy to see the introduction of a Groceries and Essentials Benefit (something Food First NL and our partners campaigned for). However, we were disappointed to see it fall short in scope and design compared to what was proposed. We’re also happy to see the introduction of automatic tax filing. It's critical that people can access the many benefits being administered through the tax system. We’re also interested in the federal government's commitments around a new food security fund, strengthened competition enforcement, and a new food security strategy.
That said, all these initiatives will happen in the context of what appears to be significant austerity measures at the federal level. The government is under pressure to find money for national defence, in particular. We will see how they prioritize the food insecurity crisis.
Big Strides in School Food
Though under-recognized, the introduction of a fully universal school food program in Newfoundland and Labrador is an extremely important development.
In 2025, the National School Food Program became permanent. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the government continued work to bring pay-what-you-can lunches to schools across the province. The new provincial government expanded their commitment to include all schools and students from Pre-K to Grade 12.
In 2026, we expect to see a great deal of movement on this file. The first large-scale request-for-proposals to find providers for school lunch programs closed in January. We’ll be watching to see those get awarded and more RFPs issued.
Our own large-scale consultation process, Next Steps for School Meals, is now complete, and the findings will be released this year. We see a huge opportunity here for new and improved infrastructure that will benefit school food programs and support a stronger local food system.
Reconsidering the Minimum Wage
The minimum wage is one of the government’s most powerful levers to reduce food insecurity.
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is required to review the province’s minimum wage every two years, and 2026 is a review year. The reports developed during these reviews can make for important reading — we hope the government releases the 2026 report, unlike in 2024.
Moving Forward With Basic Income
Over the last few years, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador made some important strides forward with a basic income. They successfully introduced several small pilot projects, and an All-Party Committee completed an in-depth study of the topic. The report from that committee (due in 2023) wasn't released before the 2025 election. We hope to see it tabled in 2026 and to see some action taken on its recommendations.
Conclusion
2025 was a year of hard times. We expect 2026 to be a challenge, too. That said, we know (from some great public polling) that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are uniquely supportive of government taking dramatic action on this. The evidence is there. The partners are there. It’s a matter of will — let’s hope that shows up this year.