The mac and cheese paradox
An infamous Canadian study by a Calgary-based physician explored how food-secure and food-insecure households view boxed macaroni and cheese. The research team found that for people with stable incomes who were born and raised in Canada, a hot bowl of macaroni and cheese inspired a sense of comfort and convenience. They described positive feelings based on many different experiences, such as a favourite childhood memory, a quick-and-easy meal after a busy day, or a must-have staple to get through hectic times.
But among food-insecure households who relied on food programs, a box of macaroni and powdered cheese provoked an entirely different reaction. For some, it signalled the recurring stress of running out of money before the end of the month. For others, it meant the deflating monotony of sitting down to the same salty dinner for the tenth day in a row. And for many families, it meant asking their kids to eat yet another processed meal because they couldn’t afford fresh milk, real cheese, and other healthy ingredients.
Why does this matter?
The food-insecure households in this study underscored three of the major drivers behind iCAN’s decision to switch from food hampers to grocery gift cards in 2020: health, choice, and dignity.
Our 2025 evaluation showed that the top priority for food-insecure families was the ability to select foods that promote well-being and align with their unique cultural or household needs. Parents spend about 85% of our grocery gift cards on fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, dairy products, eggs, and breads. Furthermore, nearly half of our program recipients are immigrants and refugees who use grocery gift cards to purchase foods for culturally relevant meals. Pasta is not on their radar.
This study also matters because Canada’s longstanding response to food insecurity still revolves around donated food, despite years of research that shows how food insecurity only abates when income improves.
We know that every donor genuinely wants to help kids and families get through difficult times. Unfortunately, many people with the best of intentions continue to believe that products such as boxed macaroni and cheese remain an ideal offering since they are convenient, easy to prepare, and “loved by everyone” This sentiment does not reflect what we hear from the families who access our program.
For example, this parent told us why they prefer our program over hampers:
“I like that the grocery store has real food in good condition and not close to their expiration date. Grocery gift cards help me feel like I’m not hopeless or useless because it helps me afford foods we can eat and cook that nourish our bodies the proper way.”
Parent and empowered grocery gift card recipient
The issue is so much bigger than food
When our society tries to address food insecurity by collecting, sorting, and redistributing food, we overlook the deeper issues facing these families: low wages, unstable employment, unaffordable housing, costly medical conditions, and chronic anxiety. The lack of control over these stressors is exactly why health, choice, and dignity matter so much to the households we serve. And this is why income-based responses deserve much more attention across Alberta. Our grocery gift card program continues to gain momentum because more and more donors realize how our approach empowers parents to shop in reliable stores, buy the foods their children actually need, and make healthier decisions.
A box of macaroni and cheese is neither inherently good nor bad. When a household has enough income, it’s just one of many appealing options. For families that rely on food donations, that same pasta is an upsetting reminder of economic hardship, persistent stress, and the deflating loss of choice. At iCAN, this reality shapes our service model. Instead of deciding which foods families receive, we provide grocery gift cards that allow them to shop with the same autonomy, flexibility, and dignity as everyone else.
One parent recently confirmed the impact of this model when they reached out to say thanks for the freedom they experience with grocery gift cards:
“I’ve become more confident because I can shop more efficiently and smarter by choosing healthier options that have a longer expiration or shelf life with less synthetic chemicals added for preservation.”
Parent and grateful grocery gift card recipient
Trusting families to decide
We recognize food-insecure parents as capable people navigating impossible financial pressures – not passive recipients of charitable support. They know the healthy foods their children enjoy eating. They also know their kids’ preferences, allergies, dietary needs, and habits.
Dignity thrives in the freedom to make choices – and growing children need so much more than a box of “comfort food” to thrive. We invite you to support evidence-based and dignity-centered approaches to food insecurity. A donation to I Can for Kids quickly transforms into grocery gift cards that enable kids and families to create meals, traditions, and memories that reflect their own families and cultures.
Explore more:
References:
- Rock, M., & McIntyre, L. (2009). Discomforting comfort foods: Stirring the pot on Kraft Dinner and social inequality in Canada. Agriculture and Human Values, 26(3), 167–176.
- Tarasuk, V., & McIntyre, L. (2025). The evidence is in: Accountability needs to be injected into the policy-making process for household food insecurity reduction. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 45(9).
