Professional

Food poverty - defined as the inability to access a nutritionally adequate diet - is a significant issue for many people on the island of Ireland.

Although the cost of healthy food is a major factor, the inability to access to a healthy diet is a complex issue that incorporates education, transport, literacy, culture and environmental planning. Food poverty is yet another outcome of broader determinants of health, such as poor housing, social exclusion and high crime. 

With other stakeholders on the island, safefood is addressing the issue of food poverty through advocacy, building the evidence base and supporting community initiatives. Examples of this include:

• safefood co-funds Healthy Food for All, a multi-agency, all-island initiative to promote access, availability and affordability of healthy food for low-income groups.
• Healthy Food for All published a Good Practice Guide for School Food Initiatives in 2009 which looks at school food provision, funding sources, developing a school food policy and much more.
• In addition, A Good Practice Guide for Community Food Initiatives was published in 2010 and a Good Practice Guide for Breakfast Clubs was published in 2012. 
• In 2008 safefood provided Healthy Food for All with funding to establish a three-year Demonstration Programme of Community Food Initiatives.
• safefood has funded a number of research projects on food poverty and held a number of events in this area.
• safefood has funded the re-print and distribution of 101+ Square Meals.  Initially developed by the HSE and MABS, it is a well recognised resource that is used by many in the community wishing to promote budgeting and cooking skills.