Common indicators: keeping track of food security in NL
Collective Impact initiatives use common indicators and/or shared measurement to track progress toward the achievement of a common agenda. The common indicators function like a surveillance system that helps Everybody Eats network members make decisions about their work and the work of the collective. These indicators were chosen at an Everybody Eats Network Gathering in 2018. Everybody Eats common indicators are intended to provide system level tracking of the status of the five domains of a vibrant food system (although there is still work being done on additional indicators for some domains). There are lots of charts on this page so it’s a bit easier to read on a bigger screen!
The five domains of the food system
The Indicators
Indicator 1: Cost of Nutritious Food Basket
Current Value: $264
Source: Provincial Food Costing – Nutritious Food Basket
Most Recent Available Data: 2018
Data Pending: 2019
Target: TBD
Trend: Stable
What? The NL Nutritious Food Basket (NLNFB) shows the cost of a minimally nutritious diet based on a standard food basket. It has the advantage of being based on food purchasing patterns and therefore has some similarity to the foods generally purchased in the province.
Why? Understanding the cost of the nutritious food basket is important to better understand the amount of money families require each week in order to put food on the table. Information about the cost of a nutritious food basket may be used to promote and support policies and programs to overcome cost related barriers, which increase access to healthy foods.
What we want to see? A reduction in the overall cost of the NLNFB, but as well as narrowing of the gap in costs experienced between regions.
Limitations? Key concerns with the cost of food is variability in cost by regions. For example, in 2017 the average weekly cost of the NLNFB in St. John’s was $251, and in the north coast of Labrador it was $402. This means that people on the north coast pay $600 more per month.
Indicator 2: Newfoundland & Labrador Food Retail Environment
Current Values: 14 fast food outlets, 8 corner stores, 4 gas stations with grocery stores, and 3 grocery stores per 10,000 people
Source: Research conducted by J. Valcour, C. Mah, and Food Lab @ DAL
Most Recent Available Data: 2012
Data Pending: NA
Target: TBD
Trend: Unknown
What? The number of food retail outlets (fast food restaurants, corner stores, gas stations with stores, grocery stores) per 10,000 residents in NL.
Why? This helps us to understand the retail food environment in NL, which illustrates the level of physical access to store food. This indicator gives us a better understanding of the current distribution challenges we face as a province.
What we want to see? We want to see improvements in the retail food environment – whether that is through closing the gap between fast food outlets and grocery stores or supporting efforts in corner stores to get better availability to food.
Limitations? There are no plans to conduct this analysis on Service NL data again. For this to be a useful indicator, the data needs to be analyzed on a regular basis.
Indicator 3: Percentage of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians participating in Foraging, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping
Current Values: 44% fishing, 39% foraging, 20% hunting and trapping
Source: Statistics Canada Table 45-10-0030-01
Most Recent Available Data: 2017
Data Pending: TBD
Target: TBD
Trend: Unknown
What? This statistic shows the percentage of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians participating in fishing, foraging, hunting and trapping. This data excludes Nunatsiavut.
Why? Traditional food skills are one of the main strengths of the NL food system and foraging, fishing, hunting, and trapping encapsulate many of those skills.
What we want to see? Lately, there has been a renewed interest in foraging, fishing, hunting, and trapping and we are optimistic that with this interest will come with more education, skills training, and environmental awareness. We hope this will lead to increased rates of participation in these activities – but also an increase in available resources to allow these activities to be carried out responsibly and ecologically sound.
Limitations? Does not include Nunatsiavut.
Indicator 4: Breastfeeding Rates
Current Value: 74%
Source: Perinatal Program NL
Most Recent Available Data: 2016
Data Pending: 2019
Target: TBD
Trend: Increasing
What? This is the percentage of infants breastfeeding at neonatal screening checkups.
Why? Breastfeeding is associated with a variety of positive health outcomes.
What we want to see? Increasing rates and rates comparable to the rest of Canada.
Limitation? Does not provide information on duration of breastfeeding.
Indicator 5: Rates of Household Food Insecurity
Current Value: 14.7% (Marginal, Moderate, and Severe combined)
Source: PROOF
Most Recent Available Data: 2018
Data Pending: TBD
Target: TBD
Trend: Increasing
What? Household food insecurity occurs when individuals or families can’t afford enough nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life.
Why? Many families and individuals in NL are not able to afford adequate healthy food, particularly those living with lower incomes and those in more rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities in the province. The lack of access to adequate nutrition contributes to serious health issues and limits the potential of both children and adults.
What we want to see? Declining rates.
Limitations? Does not provide a regional picture.
Indicator 6: Vegetable and Fruit Consumption (5x/day)
Current Value: 18%
Source: Statistics Canada - Canadian Community Health Survey
Most Recent Available Data: 2017
Data Pending: 2019
Target: TBD
Trend: Declining
What? This is the percentage of adults consuming fruits and vegetables 5 times or more per day.
Why? This is an indicator of healthy eating.
What we want to see? Increasing rates and rates comparable to the rest of Canada.
Limitations? Does not provide a regional picture.
Indicator 7: Access to safe drinking water
Current Value: 141 alerts/year
Source: watertoday.ca
Most Recent Available Data: 2020
Data Pending: Ongoing
Target: TBD
Trend: TBC
What? WATERTODAY updates and posts Canadian water advisories throughout the day, every day. Establishing drinking water quality criteria and publishing water advisories is a provincial responsibility in Canada. WATERTODAY national maps offer site visitors an overview of water issues across Canada, including: Boil Water Advisories, Do Not Consume, Water Shortage, and cyanobacteria contamination or Blue-Green Algae advisories.
Why? Access to safe drinking water is a health and equity issue.
What we want to see? Decreasing number of water advisories
Limitations? It is not clear how to determine trends in this data as the data is published daily. There are also four metrics (boil water advisories, do not consume, water shortage and clue-green algae).
Indicator 8: Total Land in Production (Acres)
Current Value: 70,747
Source: Statistics Canada- Census of Agriculture
Most Recent Available Data: 2016
Data Pending: 2021
Target: TBD
Trend: Decreasing
What? This metric shows the area of farm land in use in acres.
Why? The amount of land used for farming impacts production.
What we want to see? Increases or no change.
Limitations? It would be helpful to see how this compares to other regions or nationally.
Indicator 9: NL Market Basket Measure (Dollars)
Current Values:
42,539 (Rural), $42,926 (Towns under 30,000), $44,808 (St. John’s)
Source: Statistics Canada
Most Recent Available Data: 2018
Data Pending: TBD
Target: TBD
Trend: Decreasing
What? The Market Basket Measure is based on the cost of a specific basket of goods and services representing a modest, basic standard of living. It includes the costs of food, clothing, shelter, transportation and other items for a reference family.
Why? It is an indicator of the affordability of food and food access.
What we want to see? Stability or decreases beyond inflation
Limitations? Unclear whether this measure will be collected in the future
Indicator 10: Number of food bank visits
Current Value: 10,704
Source: Food Banks Canada
Most Recent Available Data: 2019
Data Pending: 2020
Target: TBD
Trend: Increasing
What? This metric shows the number of users of food banks.
Why? It is an indicator of the affordability of food and food access.
What we want to see? Decreases.
Limitations? Data collection format changed in 2018 year, so previous-year statistics not comparable
Everybody Eats Common Indicator Selection Principles and Process
The following five principles were established by the Leadership Team to guide the indicator selection process and future work on common indicators. In order to ensure data sources and indicators are the most relevant and useful to the Everybody Eats Network, Everybody Eats indicators should be:
Reflective of Everybody Eats vision of a vibrant food system in which people and place flourish.
Representative of the food system in Newfoundland & Labrador, as outlined in the Everybody Eats Discussion Paper and inclusive of the 5 domains: production, distribution, access, consumption, and disposal.
Feasible to collect – the data sources should be accessible and easy to work with in order to facilitate timely and accurate reporting.
Of value to the member organizations of the Everybody Eats Network, not only for the project alone
Reflective of the unique culture and diversity of the Newfoundland & Labrador.
An initial list of indicators was developed based on indicators used in other food security projects in Canada and brought to an Everybody Eats Network Gathering Meeting in December 2018. Network members were asked to reflect on the list of potential indicators and offer additional indicators of value. Dotmocracy was used to allow members to vote on 5 indicators they felt would best suit this project and to provide any comments regarding these indicators. This process resulted in a final list of 10 indicators.