Food  and  food  poverty  in  NI:  Some  key  facts  

In  2009/10,  23%  of  people  were  living  in  poverty  (defined  as  having  an  income  below  60%  of  

median  net  disposable  income).      

Over  a  quarter  of  children  (28%)  are  living  in  poverty  in  NI.  Child  poverty  blights  childhoods.  

Growing  up  in  poverty  means  being  cold,  going  hungry,  not  being  able  to  join  in  

activities  with  friends  (Child  Poverty  Action  Group,  UK).  

We  know  that  living  in  poverty  puts  people  at  risk  of  poor  dietary  intake  and  health  inequalities.  

Poor  diet  is  a  major  health  risk  and  contributes  to  the  development  of  obesity,  and  some  cancers,  

coronary  heart  disease,  diabetes  and  also  low  birth-­‐weight  and  increased  childhood  

morbidity.  

 Those  who  have  a  poor  diet  and  are  unable  to  access  the  food  necessary  for  a  healthy  life  are  said  

to  be  experiencing  food  poverty.  Although  there  are  many  definitions  of  food  poverty,  

all  encompass  an  inability  to  afford  a  healthy  diet.  Food  poverty  is  a  complex  issue  

and  does  not  only  affect  dietary  intake  but  also  has  implications  for  lifestyle,  social  

interaction  and,  importantly,  health  status.  

 Living  in  poverty  imposes  constraints  on  food  consumption  behaviour  in  three  ways  

affordability,  access  and  psychosocial  factors  

Affordability:  Limited  economic  resources  and  the  cost  of  a  nutritionally  

adequate  diet  are  considered  to  be  major  barriers  to  sustaining  a  healthy  diet  and  

subsequent  good  health.  Food  is  the  only  household  expense  that  can  be  flexible  

and  often  other  expenses  such  as  fuel  bills,  rent  etc.  take  priority  over  spending  on  

food.  Research  has  shown  that  people  on  low  income  practice  skilful  budgeting  

and  when  shopping  they  are  deliberate  and  controlled  in  what  they  buy  

Access:  Access  to  food  which  is  affordable,  healthy  and  of  good  quality  can  be  an  

issue  for  low  income  groups.  Difficulty  in  accessing  food  can  be  due  to  a  lack  of  

local  shops  and  supermarkets,  limited  transportation  to  out-­‐of-­‐town  

supermarkets,  a  lack  of  storage  facilities  for  food  in  the  home  and  people  not  

having  the  skills  to  prepare  and  cook  meals  and  also  limited  mobility  to  buy  and  

bring  home  food.  

Psychosocial  factors:  Food  consumption  behaviour  can  also  be  influenced  by  a  

person’s  skills  and  knowledge,  culture  and  personal  beliefs.  Food  also  plays  a  role  

in  social  interaction  and  a  lack  of  resources  may  limit  a  person’s  ability  to  enjoy  

eating  out  or  inviting  a  friend  or  family  to  their  home.  Poor  literacy  skills  and  

problems  with  numeracy  can  make  it  difficult  for  a  person  to  choose  healthy  food  

for  their  families,  also  their  ability  to  read  and  understand  food  labelling  or  

healthy  eating  messages  may  be  affected.  

 

A  recent  Mintel  report  found  that  food  prices  in  NI  have  risen  by  26%  between  June  2007  and  

June  2011  (equating  to  12%  in  real  terms,  taking  inflation  into  account).    

In  addition,  while  between  1998  and  2009,  the  average  wage  growth  of  low  income  households  

rose  by  22%,  over  the  same  period  food  prices  rose  by  33%.    

Recent  research  by  the  Consumer  Council  NI  showed  that  9  out  of  10  consumers  in  NI  worry  

about  the  cost  of  their  food  bill.  

 

   The  approaches  in  addressing  food  poverty  need  to  be  both  downstream  and  upstream  whereby  

downstream  approaches  deal  with  individuals  and  behavioural  change  and  upstream  

approaches  deal  with  structural  issues  such  as  income  adequacy,  welfare,  access  to  

shops  and  regional  planning.  Unfortunately,  approaches  to  date  have  dealt  with  more  

UK food poverty • One in five families live below the poverty line putting them at

risk of food poverty; over 4 million children are at risk and 4 million suffer from serious nutrient related health problems.

• No links with benefits to food ‘necessary’ for healthy living.

• Food benefits FSMs and Health Start + free fruit and veg. • People go hungry

• The link is greatest between poverty and outcomes such as obesity

Oxfam report 2011 Amount spent on food as a % of household income is very high for the poorest households. 17% of those parents with children have gone without food in the last 12 months Two fifths (42%) of single people believe that healthy food is too expensive. Average UK spend on food? IS ??? The POOR???

downstream  approaches.  For  a  more  long  term,  sustainable  solution,  focus  needs  to  

be  put  on  policy  level,  upstream  approaches.  

   

 The  Guardian  newspaper  recently  did  a  series  called  Breadline  Britain  

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/series/breadline-­‐britain)  which  tracked    the  

impact  and  consequences  of  the  recession  on  families  and  individuals  across  the  UK.  

Some  of  the  points  made  as  part  of  this  blog  include  the  following  

o  Falling  incomes  and  welfare  spending  cuts  have  triggered  an  explosion  in  demand  

for  emergency  food  parcels  as  Britain's  poorest  families  struggle  to  put  a  

meal  on  the  table.  Fareshare,  a  charity  that  supplies  millions  of  free  meals  

to  charities,  food  banks  and  breakfast  clubs  using  food  donated  by  

supermarkets,  said  it  could  not  keep  pace  with  demand,  which  it  expected  

to  continue  growing  for  at  least  five  years.  

o  The  Guardian's  Breadline  Britain  investigation  revealed  that  up  to  3.6m  UK  

households  were  at  risk  of  slipping  into  poverty  as  a  result  of  spiralling  

living  costs,  shrinking  incomes  and  welfare  benefit  reforms.  Britain's  

biggest  food-­‐bank  network,  the  Trussell  Trust  charity,  reported  in  April  it  

had  doubled  the  number  of  emergency  food  parcels  issued  over  the  past  

year  and  was  opening  food  banks  at  the  rate  of  two  a  week.  

 

 Food  price  rises-­‐speculation  and  catastrophes    

   

 So  consumption  of  comfort  foods  and  for  some  eating  out    One  in  five  families  live  below  the  poverty  line  putting  them  at  risk  of  food  poverty;  over  4  million  children  are  at  risk  and  4  million  suffer  from  serious  nutrient  related  health  problems.    People  still  go  hungry  but  the  outcomes  of  food  poverty  are  as  likely  to  be  overweight  and  obesity  as  hunger.  But  hunger  is  still  with  us…..    

 As  food  choice  has  increased  a  curious  conundrum  has  occurred  with  people  eating  a  narrower  range  of  foods.  This  is  influenced  by  technology  in  the  home,  and  taste  preferences.  For  example,  left  to  their  own  devices  children  will  eat  a  lot  of  what  they  like  a  lot,  a  little  of  what  they  like  and  none  of  what  they  perceive  that  they  do  not  like.    There  are  only  two  directly  related  welfare  benefits  left  Free  School  Meals  and  Healthy  Start  for  pregnant  and  new  mothers.      Food  wars  ,  one  on  every  eight  pounds  is  spent  in  Tesco.  The  5  major  retailers  account  for  80%  of  all  food  spending.      

 

 Recent  qualitative  research  on  the  island  of  Ireland  funded  by  safefood  found  that  people  on  a  low  income  live  in  the  here  and  now  and  their  priority  is  to  make  the  most  of  the  limited  budget  

on  which  they  are  living  day  by  day.  The  findings  showed  that  the  main  priority  for  most  people  is  to  put  food  on  the  table  and  not  the  nutritional  content.  Participants  in  the  study  reported  knowing  about  healthy  eating  but  they  saw  the  barriers  to  this  such  as  cost,  convenience  and  potential  food  wastage  as  being  difficult  to  overcome.    Most  actively  disliked  food  shopping,  and  regarded  it  as  an  activity  for  women  and  families.  This  limited  their  sensitivity  to  offers  and  their  interest  in  targeted  shopping.  However,  extreme  price  sensitivity  (evident  in  Belfast)  did  provide  the  incentive  for  investing  more  time  and  effort  in  sourcing  the  cheapest  possible  food.    “Pizza  from  Iceland,  they  are  only  £1  and  you  can  get  a  load  of  them  –  do  them  all  week.”  Lone  parent,  Belfast    “You  work  out  your  Monday  to  Friday  dinners  before  going  shopping.  I  write  a  list  if  I’m  short  of  money  that  week  because  you  are  only  buying  necessities,  not  buying  any  luxuries.”  Lone  Parent,  Belfast        

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Food on a low income Four households tell their storySummary Report