The Manitoba government is on the right track with a pilot project designed to lower the price tag on healthy foods in remote northern communities.
The high cost of milk, fruits and vegetables in those communities – Pukatawagan, Churchill and Brochet among them – promotes poor dietary habits.
Sadly, those bad diets contribute to a host of physical and mental health problems.
Offering healthier foods at a reduced rate won’t automatically overturn those health problems, since some people will
continue to favour detrimental foods.
But the province’s Affordable Food in Remote Manitoba (AFFIRM) program is undoubtedly a good start.
AFFIRM works by awarding subsidies to businesses on fresh milk, vegetable and fruit purchases.
There are reports of some businesses now charge more than $20 for a four-litre jug of milk. The province expects (but does not guarantee, apparently) that AFFIRM will cut that price by up to $6.40.
Only time will tell what actual savings result, and whether those savings are dramatic enough to enable struggling northern families to make better dietary choices.
Hopefully AFFIRM does not become another well-intentioned program that delivers disappointing results.
