70% of Inuit Preschoolers Live in Food Insecurity – a Warming Arctic is to Blame

Feature image: Three Nenet children in traditional clothing stand beside a snow-covered tent in a winter landscape in Russia, Credit: Photo by Sergei Shilenko, Pexels. 

Nunavut is a remote Arctic territory in northern Canada, made up of 25 small, isolated communities with no road connections who are very dependent on imported food. The majority of residents are Inuit (Indigenous peoples of the Arctic with strong cultural and subsistence ties to hunting, fishing, and other locally harvested food).

Here, food insecurity is among the highest in the developed world. Between 50–80% of households experience food insecurity, and 70% of Inuit preschoolers live in food-insecure homes.

This reflects a fragile food system shaped by environmental change, high costs, and limited access. 

Key highlights 

• Food insecurity affects over half of households, far exceeding national averages 

• Heavy reliance on imported food due to the isolated nature of where they live  

• High food prices and limited incomes reduce access to nutritious diets  

• Climate change is disrupting access to traditional country food (locally harvested food such as seal, caribou, fish)  

• Extreme weather delays food shipments and reduces availability  

• Declining hunting activity weakens traditional food-sharing networks 

Climate and Polar Change link 

Climate change is intensifying risks to Arctic food systems. Rising temperatures, changing sea ice conditions – ice is forming later, breaking up earlier, and becoming thinner and less predictable. Snowfall patterns are shifting and wildlife migration routes are changing, making it harder and more dangerous for Inuit hunters to reach traditional food sources they have relied on for generations. 

As polar regions warm significantly faster than the global average, these pressures are expected to accelerate, deepening systemic vulnerabilities in remote and Indigenous food systems. At the same time, thawing permafrost is destabilizing Arctic landscapes, affecting ecosystems, infrastructure, and long-term food system stability. 

Implications 

Socio-economic 

• Increased household poverty due to high food costs  

• Greater dependence on external supply chains  

• Loss of traditional livelihoods and cultural practices  

Health 

• Increased risk of undernutrition and food-related diseases  

• Rising prevalence of anaemia, diabetes, and poor child development  

• Higher vulnerability among children, pregnant women, and low-income households 

Urgent response needed 

• Strengthen local and traditional food systems by supporting hunting, harvesting, and community food-sharing networks, and improving access to equipment and resources Inuit communities need to harvest their own food.  

• Improve food affordability and supply chain reliability by reducing transport disruptions, stabilizing import routes, and lowering the cost of nutritious foods in remote communities.  

• Support Inuit-led and community-based solutions by prioritizing Indigenous knowledge, local decision-making, and community-designed food programs that reflect local needs.  

• Integrate climate adaptation into food security planning by using climate projections to prepare for changing sea ice, wildlife patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events. 

• Enhance collaboration through the Nunavut Food Security Coalition by coordinating government, Inuit organizations, and local stakeholders to align policies, resources, and long-term strategies. 

Read more about Climate change and  Food insecurity. 

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