Food poverty was defined by the Department of Health in 2005 as ‘the inability to afford or have reasonable access to food which provides a healthy diet’. Generally foods high in fat, sugar and salt are cheaper than healthier foods and it is well known that poor diet and obesity are leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer. Yet the effects of food poverty can be even wider than this, as food is so central to people’s lives; an inadequate diet can affect an individual physically, psychologically and socially.
Food poverty is a complex issue and although monitoring the use of emergency food providers such as food banks can give an indication of need locally, not all food poverty is so visible. Many individuals will not access the emergency provisions until it is their only option, which leaves a proportion of the population suffering in silence.
There are over 50 emergency food providers in Devon, which are well established and provide food to thousands of people in Devon; Exeter Foodbank for example provided emergency food supplies to 4,668 people in crisis during 2015-16.
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“It’s a really bad situation that people have to decide whether they can feed themselves, feed their children or put the heating on. It’s a case of having to budget or having to go without.” – Exeter Foodbank User (Source: Exeter Foodbank 2016, exeter.foodbank.org.uk/about/real-stories) |
The number of people accessing emergency food supplies is increasing each year, with the most common reasons being low income and benefit changes or delays.
Figure 5.13, Primary Reasons for Referral to Trussell Trust Foodbanks, 2015-16
Source: Trussell Trust, 2016. Latest Stats. www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats
Some efforts towards food poverty in Devon during 2015 and 2016 have looked at the hidden need in the community, to try to support and educate families who may not access emergency food aid. With Marmot’s objective to “give every child the best start in life” in mind, there has been a focus on children in food poverty.
In 2015, a survey of school staff was completed to identify their understanding of local need and the extent of food poverty within children in Devon. The results showed that out of the 50 responses, 62% agreed that food poverty is an issue at their school. In response, work has begun to set up holiday hunger projects and breakfast clubs to improve access to free food for children in food poverty.
Other small projects that have begun in Devon for both adults and children in food poverty include breakfast clubs for the homeless or those struggling with addiction and pay-as-you-like cafes. However there is still a long way to go to ensure that projects like these are accessible across the county, particularly in rural areas.
The recent update to the Feeding Britain report comments on the progress that has been made nationally in using surplus food to combat food poverty. This is reflected locally in Devon, with organisations such as DCFA and Fareshare enabling many charities to carry out activities that would otherwise not be possible. However the report also acknowledges that there is still a huge amount of work to do on the environment which encourages the development of food poverty. Read the full update report here: feedingbritain.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/feeding-britain-six-months-on.pdf
| Box 1, Food Poverty, Perceptions and Experiences
The following quotes are from interviews with clients and staff at Exeter Food Bank. This study was submitted to the All-Party Parliamentary Enquiry on Food Poverty and Hunger, 2014. Further in-depth research on rural food poverty in Devon is underway. “I am a single person, aged 21, living at Exeter YMCA. I have had a job since April but they can’t guarantee my hours as I am on a zero hour contract. Due to a lack of hours at work, I had only been paid a little and had to pay for rent and travel. I don’t have any money to buy food.” “On 30th May 2013, we spoke to a single mum at Foodbank who came with her 8 year old daughter. She had gradually fallen into debt because has had to pay for childcare expenses in school holiday time in order to keep her own fulltime, minimum wage job. She said they’d be better off on benefits, but wanted to work.” Source(s) McIvor, L. and Williams, A. Emergency Food Aid in Exeter: Findings from Exeter Foodbank. Submitted to the All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry on Food Poverty and Hunger, July 2014. |