The cost of eating healthy food in Wellington and Dufferin counties continues to rise.

This year's Nutritious Food Basket survey shows that a family of four would spend an average of $130.97 on groceries every week, a 1% increase from $129.55 last year.

In 2000, the price of the Nutritious Food Basket was $108.09. Over the next six years it rose 17.5%.

The Ontario Nutritious Food Basket is used as a benchmark to determine the cost of a nutritious diet for a variety of age and gender groups.

In June, Public Health surveyed seven grocery stores in Wellington and Dufferin counties and Guelph. The cost of the Nutritious Food Basket was calculated by averaging the prices of 66 food items found in those stores.

The food items surveyed include a variety of less expensive choices from the four food groups in Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating:

 breads, cereals and other grain products;

 milk, cheese and other milk products;

 vegetables and fruit, and

 meat and meat alternatives.

The survey does not include items with little nutritional value:  soft drinks;  potato chips;  sugary cereals;

 foods consumed outside the home, and

 non-food items frequently bought at the grocery store (e.g., laundry detergent soap, toothpaste and toilet paper).

Many families find it difficult to afford healthy food. For help locating

food-assistance places in your community, take a look at the Food Assistance Directory on the Public Health website. www.wdghu.org. You can also get a copy of The Price of Following Canada's Food Guide by calling 519-821-2370.