The nature and extent of food poverty/insecurity in Scotland

Flora Douglas, Ada Garcia, Stephen Whybrow, Lynda MacKenzie

Background

• Roundtable discussion hosted by CFHS in 2012 identified the need to understand the scale of the need for food assistance and the wider experience of food poverty in Scotland.

• Learning exchange event (February 2014) on the issue of emergency food aid the identified the need to build understanding as to the extent and experience of food poverty in Scotland.

Basis and aim of research

• To explore the wider context of food poverty/ insecurity in Scotland to develop an understanding of the current level and nature of food poverty/ insecurity to inform policy and practice.

• The study will also examine food poverty / insecurity in relation to particular vulnerable groups and consider the implication of findings for the future work of community food initiatives.

Research aims and objectives• Develop an understanding of the extent of food

poverty/ insecurity in Scotland (as defined above) using existing sources of information.

• Develop further the evidence base in relation to the experience of food poverty among particular vulnerable groups of the population e.g. older people, people in rural and remote rural areas, those facing destitution.

• Consider ways in which community food initiatives are currently responding to this situation and what they could or might do to mitigate it.

Food poverty/insecurity definition

Research working definition

‘The inability to acquire or consume an adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways, or the

uncertainty that one will be able to do so.’ Dowler (2003)

But..........!

This Research underpinned by notions of Food Security!!

Research methodsA. Literature review - to establish the extent to which Scottish context features in

the existing food poverty literature.

B. Secondary analysis of existing datasets to address three key questions relating to food poverty in Scotland:

1. the current prevalence of food poverty; 2. the nature of food poverty and; 3. trends in prevalence of food poverty.

C. 15 In-depth interviews with key informants from organisations (from across Scotland) concerned with providing caring and other services for vulnerable groups.

D. 10 In-depth interviews with key informants representing community food programmes serving communities of concern, e.g. rural/remote, older people, asylum seekers, refugees.

Quantitative research• Scoping of existing and relevant datasets:

• Living Costs and Food Survey (LCFS)• Kantar Worldpanel• Scottish Health Survey (SHeS)• European Union Statistics on Income and Living

Conditions (EU-SILC)• General Lifestyle Survey• Family Resources Survey

• Identifying household at risk of facing food poverty: households below 60% of median equivalised income (general accepted poverty definition in the UK)

Factors under consideration• Demographics

• Elderly

• Households living in remote/rural areas

• Nutrition• Variables on food expenditure have been identified in LCFS and Kantar..

• Income

• Expenditure• Exploring the relative proportion of a household’s spending on food,

housing cost, fuel, etc. for households above / below the ‘at risk’ threshold.

Qualitative research topics• Views about the existence of food poverty amongst client group, and

what makes people think this issue an issue.... if they believe to be a problem.

• Views about providing emergency food aid and other services aimed at addressing food poverty.

• Future organisations intentions regarding alleviating (locally-based) immediate food crises.

• Perspectives about longer term/chronic food poverty in Scotland and organisations role in addressing it.

• Views about alternative models for addressing food poverty at the community level.

• What does socially acceptable means of food procurement mean in the Scottish Context ?

Timeline

• 7 month project• Qualitative data collection mid/late November

till February next year.• Due to report by the spring of 2015

Please get in touch if you are interested in taking part in the study!

Research Personnel

Research Team• Dr Flora Douglas• Dr Ada Garcia• Dr Stephen Whybrow • Ms Lynda MacKenzie• Ms Ourega-Zoé Ejebu• Dr Fiona MacKenzie

Advisory GroupProfessor Liz Dowler (University of Warwick) Professor Anne Ludbrook (Health Economics Unit: University of Aberdeen)

Contact details Flora Douglas Tel No. 01224 437124 f.douglas@abdn.ac.uk