Food Insecurity In Developed Nations - What Can Be Done?

Recently I've been learning about issues of food security in developed countries such as Canada and the U.S. It's amazing how a country as wealthy as Canada has such a high number of food insecure individuals. Food security is defined as the availability and accessibility of culturally acceptable and nutritious foods for all individuals that is produced in sustainable ways, and predominantly relates to developing countries. It is different from the traditional image of "hunger" - the need or desire for food accompanied by the painful physiological sensation caused by the need of food [1], which is more often experienced in developing third world countries. Many food insecure individuals will experience periods of food security followed by short periods of food insecurity. This can occur at any time of year or month, but often occurs at the end of the month when funds run out.

What causes food insecurity? 

There are a number of factors that lead to food insecurity, but the main underlying issue is poverty [2]. Individuals who cannot afford to purchase food will often resort to skipping meals, eating less and choosing less nutritious foods overall. This has contributed to the obesity epidemic seen in many developed nations. As food insecurity increases, individuals turn to cheaper foods that tend to be more unhealthy, and thus food insecurity in developed countries oftentimes presents itself in the form of obese individuals [3]. 

What can be done about food insecurity?

There are many propositions around what could/should be done to address issues of food insecurity in Canada and other developed nations. The main focus is around what GOVERNMENTS should do, although food security can be addressed starting from the individual level. The following are points raised in Lynn McIntyre's article titled "Food security: More than a determinant of health" [3].

Policy changes:

1. provide more affordable housing so that individuals have more disposable income towards other basic necessities such as food

2. increase minimum wage and social assistance such as welfare

3. increase the number of high quality and affordable daycare spaces (families with children - especially lone parents may not be able to afford daycare and thus need to stay home to care for children preventing them from maintaining employment)

4. make healthy nutritious foods more affordable - especially staples such as milk

5. provide employment support to help people find jobs and keep them

6. develop a system to monitor food insecurity in the nation

These are all large scale changes and we may feel that we are powerless to help the situation as individuals. But there are a number of things we can do to help combat food insecurity including eating local, organic and seasonal foods so that the food we choose is more sustainable. We can also reduce our consumption of meats that come from "factory farms", which are large scale farms that produce many costs to society that cannot be covered in the price of the meat (called a negative externality - for more information refer to the article by Rocha) [2]. 

Overall, food insecurity is a complex problem that deserves a complex approach to solving the many issues related to it.

References

[1] http://www.mealexchange.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=40&Itemid=74

[2] Rocha, C. (2007). Food insecurity as market failure: A contribution from economics. Journal of hunger and environmental nutrition, 1(4): 5-22.

[3] McIntyre, L. (2003). Food security: More than a determinant of health. Policy Options, 24(3), 46.