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Food is a basic human right — but many people don’t have access to the food they need.
Every town and city in Newfoundland and Labrador will elect a new council on October 2, 2025. The people we choose to represent us on these councils will have a big impact on the right to food in Newfoundland and Labrador. You can use this fact sheet to help talk to your municipal candidates.
Background: Access to Food in Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is one the most food insecure provinces in Canada. Here’s what that looks like:
30% of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were food insecure in 2024
8.4% of people were severely food insecure (aka going hungry) that year
A standard “basket” of basic groceries to feed a family of four for a week costs an average of $333 - but that goes up to more than $500 in Northern Labrador
The Living Wage for Newfoundland and Labrador is $25/hour but our legal minimum wage is only $16
More than 80% of our communities lack a grocery store and many people struggle to access transportation to the stores that do exist
NL is extremely reliant on food imports from outside of the province
How Municipalities impact people’s access to food
Municipalities impact the right to food in many ways:
Land use: City and town councils decide how land is used in their communities. That means that it’s up to them to decide whether a piece of land can be used to produce food, or to sell it.
Transportation: It’s generally up to municipalities to provide public transportation in their communities. Access to transportation helps people access food affordably.
Taxation: Cities and towns pay for their services with taxes, which impacts how much households have available for other costs like food.
Community services: Many municipalities provide funding or in-kind support for services that help people access food, including farmers’ markets, community freezers, mobile markets, and meal programs.
Advocacy: Municipalities advocate to the provincial and federal governments for improved supports and services, including things that can help people access food.
Coordination: Some municipalities have Food Policy Councils or other advisory committees that help coordinate work around food.
Purchasing: Cities and towns are big buyers of food for their facilities, impacting local food infrastructure.
Employment: Cities and towns have employees who rely on their municipalities for the money they use to buy food.
What isn’t a municipal responsibility?
There are lots of things that impact the Right to Food that are outside of municipalities’ responsibilities. Some major ones include:
Income taxes (Federal/Provincial)
Benefit programs like EI (Federal) and Income Support (Provincial)
Health care (Provincial)
Agriculture and fisheries (Federal/Provincial)
There is also a provincial election coming up on the 14th, so save some questions for the folks knocking on your door for that one!
Some Questions for your Municipal candidates
Overall, what are the most important things that the town/city could do to improve access to food?
Are there things you would change about where stores and community services are allowed to set up operations?
How would you make it easier for people without cars to get to the services they need?
What kind of support should the city/town provide to community programs that help people access food?
How could council support local food production?
Would you support sourcing local food options for city-run facilities and events?
The main reason people are food insecure is income — they don’t have enough money to buy the food that they need. What should council do about this?
