Nutritious, well-balanced diet not an option with $7.50 alloted for food per day by OSAP

Between limited funds and time constraints students often face, eating nutritiously can be tough. This fact was recently brought to light by the Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance and its Food for Thought campaign. The campaign sees five post-secondary students from across the province embarked on an experiment aimed to highlight the deficiencies of OSAP by attempting to eat nutritiously on $7.50 per day, the same amount OSAP allots for food each day.

Students living away from home, regardless of city, are allocated slightly under $35 dollars a day for food, transportation, shelter and miscellaneous expenses, meaning a careful budget is of the essence.

Coincidentally, this event coincides with Canada’s nutrition month. Dieticians of Canada declared ‘Celebrate food . . . from field to table,’ as the theme this year.

While in the past few years the local food movement has picked up quite the buzz, the fact is if you want those home-grown tomatoes, you’ll have to be prepared to shell out an extra few bucks. That is something far too few students can afford to do despite the numerous benefits of buying local.

Spokesperson for Dieticians of Canada, Mary Bamford, told the Et Cetera that buying local food allows us to form a relationship with farmers and have a better understanding of where our food comes. Ultimately, it makes us think more about our food and hopefully make healthier choices. Buying local food also has environmental benefits, as our food doesn’t travel as far from the field to our fork.

Bamford recognizes buying local can be difficult for students.

The amount OSAP doles out adds up to a living allowance of $12,540 a year, an amount that hasn’t changed in four years. OUSA’s executive director, Alexi White, points out this amount forces students going to school in larger cities to live below the poverty line – paying an extra dollar or two for Ontario grown produce isn’t even an option. Currently about 60 per cent of an OSAP loan comes from the federal government, while the provincial government covers the other 40 per cent.

“We’re focusing on food because food is something everyone can understand and compare to their own situation,” says White. “It’s the overall amount that`s important. We’re hoping the provincial government in the next budget that will be coming out in a couple of weeks will basically raise that living allowance.”

The Et Cetera seconds that motion.

The Ontario government should take note. OSAP needs to be raised. Whether it comes to our careers or what to have for dinner, as students we try and make smart decisions about our futures. We shouldn’t be expected to go into credit card debt just to savour local produce.