Food poverty - defined as the inability to access a nutritionally adequate diet - is 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. 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.
Demonstration Programme of Community Food Initiatives
In 2008 safefood provided Healthy Food for All with funding to establish a three-year Demonstration Programme of Community Food Initiatives. The programme uses a community development approach to promote greater access to healthy food in low-income areas.
The objectives are to:
- Provide funding for a limited number of community food projects over a three-year period
- Provide technical support, collective training and facilitate networking between projects
- Promote shared learning among community food initiatives on the island of Ireland
- Identify and support models of best practice on the island of Ireland
- Increase awareness of community food initiatives among key stakeholders across the island of Ireland
- Identify policy and practice lessons to ensure that initiatives addressing food poverty within local communities are sustainable.
In December 2009, seven locally-based projects were granted funding under the programme:
East Belfast Healthy Eating Education Programme (Belfast)
Food Focus Community Food Initiative (Cork)
Food for Life (Derry)
Footprints Women’s Centre Building a Transition Community (Belfast)
KASI Community Garden (Killarney)
Limerick Seed to Plate Project (Limerick)
The Food Garden Project (Dundalk)
The Programme was officially launched in Belfast on 27 January 2010, by Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Michael McBride. More details on the launch can be found in our events section and press release.
Further details on the Demonstration Programme can be found on the Healthy Food for All website or contact the programme’s Development Worker, Ms Georgina Buffini, at gbuffini@healthyfoodforall.com or +353 (0) 86 152 6569.
Policy documents and reports
safefood has funded a number of research projects on food poverty:
Food Poverty and Policy
Standard of Healthy Living on the island of Ireland
Food Poverty – Lessons from the Decent Food for All (DFfA) Intervention
Food and Nutrient Intake and Attitudes among Disadvantaged Groups on the island of Ireland
Poverty: Fact or Fiction?
Other relevant documents
National Anti-Poverty Strategy (ROI)
The Financial Cost of Healthy Eating in Ireland
FSA Lower Income Diet and Nutrition Survey 2007
Events
safefood has held a number of workshops in this area. Presentations from our latest event are available by following the link below:
Tackling Food Poverty: Only a more comprehensive approach will work 05 November 2008
Other organisations working in this area
Combat Poverty Agency
Community Food and Health Scotland
Food Standards Agency
Food Vision
Healthy Food for All
Public Health Alliance for the island of Ireland
Sustain
The Institute of Public Health in Ireland